Burning Coals
by ScottishMongol
Summary: Neo and Yang both lost everything thanks to Cinder Fall. Neo believes the only way for them to get revenge is to work together, but she and Yang quickly find their relationship developing beyond a mere alliance of convenience. Baked Alaska. Set after Volume 3.
1. Prologue 1

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.

Proverbs 25:21-22

/

People flitted by her like shadows, grey ghosts in the mist. Neopolitan registered each and every one briefly, instinctively sizing them up as potential threats. Most of them were uninteresting. The majority were simply White Fang grunts, barely trained. She could take out any ten of them single-handedly. A few veterans lined the catwalk above the warehouse floor or stood guard by the doors. They were slightly more dangerous, but still nowhere near Neo's level. As for the recruits flooding in, they were barely worth a glance. Clerks, cooks, waiters, dockworkers, and transient workers, come to join the White Fang, for whatever reason, Neo didn't really care to guess. None of them had seen combat, though a few moved with the trained caution that came from a life of distrust. Two in particular looked dangerous; maybe they would be worth a second glance.

Neo never got the chance, though. Roman Torchwick walked towards her, rubbing his hands together.

"Hey kiddo. You ready?" he asked, giving her a warm smile. At his reassuring grin, a knot Neo hadn't even known had been forming in her stomach relaxed. She remembered that same grin from a cold winter's day years ago, when Roman had invited her into his home for the first time.

Neo nodded emphatically. He gestured at the Atlesian Paladin, hidden behind the massive White Fang banner.

"Great. I'll do the talking, you watch my back. Just like old times, right?"

Neo nodded again, less certain this time. Ever since that Cinder woman had come along and forcibly recruited the duo, Neo had felt more and more out of her element. From small-scale robberies to massive operations, a small army of henchmen, and now military hardware, Neo felt like things were escalating, and increasingly out of their control. Roman placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting smile.

"Hey, relax. No matter what happens, we've got each other's backs, right?"

Neo smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but then she looked around at the crowd of Faunus surrounding her. It was if an invisible hand clamped itself over her throat, preventing her from speaking. She'd spent so long alone, trusting no one, even the act of speaking to a stranger went against her instincts. She tried to shake the uncomfortable feeling by tugging on Roman's sleeve. He bent down so that she could whisper in his ear. Her voice was soft, but hoarse, like steel being scraped over a whetstone, the legacy of a fire long ago that had scorched her throat and claimed her home and parents along with it.

" _Just be careful, okay_?"

Roman gave her another smile and ruffled her hair.

"Whatever you say, kid."

/

Neo jumped out of the Bullhead's open hatch and hit the ground running. She activated her Semblance, making herself invisible, and crouched behind a pillar to take stock of the battlefield.

She was just in time. Roman was standing up, thankfully unharmed, surrounded by the wreckage of the Paladin. He brushed himself off a made a snarky comment. Neo rolled her eyes and ignored him, instead choosing to focus on his opponents as she prepared to cast another illusion. In a split second, she sized up each of her enemies.

First was the "Little Red" she had heard so much about. Neo was surprised - she was barely a child, and she had _still_ managed to be a thorn in Roman's side? Then there was the Schnee girl. She was poised, precise, skilled, but nothing special. Yawn. Then the Faunus from the warehouse. Neo cursed herself for not paying more attention earlier. She seemed dangerous, as Neo's first impression had told her - best to keep an eye on her.

Then there was the blonde. Instantly, Neo identified her as the heavy hitter. She literally seemed to be burning, her hair glowing like the sun and her eyes blazing red. Neo's fist clenched around her parasol. What she wouldn't give for them to meet in battle. She looked so strong, so dangerous. Neo's heart pounded in her chest.

Alas, no time for personal indulgences today. The blonde fired a blast from her gauntlets, and Neo cast her illusion. Roman dodged out of the way, but to the enemies' eyes it seemed as if Neo herself had jumped in front of him, blocking the round with her parasol.

 _There. Let blondie have a taste for the next time we meet._

Roman quickly caught on to the ruse, and ran away from the battlefield. While the blonde gave a roar of frustration and charged forwards, the two partners in crime beat a hasty retreat towards the Bullhead. Behind hear, Neo could hear the sound of the blonde shattering her illusion.

As the engines screamed and the airship leapt into the sky, Neo caught a fleeting glimpse of her opponent's face, contorted in fury.

 _Until next time._

/

Neo looked at the map uncertainly.

"Right into the middle of the city?" she asked hoarsely. Roman nodded and puffed on his cigar.

"I'm afraid so. Going to be a real mess. But you stick close to me and you'll be okay."

Neo glanced at him and smiled weakly.

"I know."

Roman frowned.

"Something's still bothering you."

Neo shrugged uncomfortably.

"I don't know. I just think...like you said, it's going to be a mess. We've never done anything on this scale before."

Roman sighed and knelt in front of her. Even though she wasn't a child, she still appreciated when he came down to her level - it felt like he was treating her as an equal, rather than an adopted daughter.

"Look, kid. What have I always said about the world?"

Neo hesitated.

"That it's a big scary place. And that we need to look out for ourselves."

"That's right. Now, I don't want to be involved in this any more than you do. But Cinder and her lackeys...they're not going to let us go. So we've got to do this."

"Yeah, I get it," Neo said. Roman sighed and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Look. I don't know what's going to happen after this. But maybe once this is all over, you and I can go back to the old life. Just you and me. Okay?"

Neo smiled.

"Okay."

Roman stood up and looked back at the map. Neo tried not to spare a thought to all the people that would get hurt. It wasn't like she had any control over this series of events, right? It wouldn't be her fault, strictly speaking. That wasn't so bad...

One of the Faunus shouted into the train car, breaking Neo out of her thoughts.

"Hey, boss! We found something you might wanna see!"

/

"You two go on ahead. This one's _mine_."

Neo's pulse began to race. This was what she wanted. The thrill of a fight, and at the end...

The blonde readied her fists while her two comrades raced forward. Neo let them pass - tactically speaking, all she had to do was distract one of them long enough to give the train time to reach its destination. Besides, one-on-one fights were more fun. Neo chose to focus on flipping backwards to avoid a blast from the blonde's gauntlets.

She rose to her feet and let her opponent approach her. From the way she had reacted, evidently she was looking forward to this rematch as much as Neo was. The blonde glared down at her, and Neo noticed that her eyes were not red, but a soft shade of purple. Neo blinked, causing her own eyes to switch colors.

 _Shall we dance?_

The blonde threw the first punch. Neo couldn't resist the grin spreading across her face. She jabbed the end of her parasol into her opponent's side, causing her to not only miss but spin around entirely. As she recovered, Neo opened her parasol and set it daintily on her shoulder.

Now her opponent was angry. She lunged forward, dealing haymaker after haymaker at Neo's head. Left-right-left-right, Neo smirked as she easily dodged each and every one. So predictable, so clumsy! And yet...Neo could feel the raw power behind each and every blow.

 _Oh, if only you fought a little smarter, this could be a real fight!_

The blonde tried to mix up her attacks with a series of kicks. In response, Neo closed her parasol and used it to deflect her blows, then spun around and knocked her down with a kick to her head. She flipped backwards, aiming another kick at the blonde, but she rolled out of the way and sprang to her feet, then lunged forward. Neo recovered and grabbed the blonde's arm, delivering an axe kick to her face. Then she released her opponent and kicked backwards, knocking her down again.

She cartwheeled past the blonde and gave her the chance to get back up again. She did, and this time when she attacked Neo used her parasol to block her attacks and jab at her stomach and face, opening and closing it as needed. Neo couldn't help but feel a little contempt as she easily shove the blonde backwards.

 _I'm disappointed blondie, I thought you would be more of a challenge!_

The blonde screamed and aimed a blast at Neo's feet, but she was easily able to flip backwards and land daintily on a crate, parasol resting on her shoulder and her legs crossed.

The blonde walked forward again, giving Neo time to cock her head to the side curiously.

 _Really? So predictable?_

When the blonde threw her obvious punch, Neo deflected it with her open parasol and balanced on one hand, spinning around and aiming kicks at the blonde, easily dodging every blow. She was just showing off now, hoping to make her opponent even angrier, if that were possible. Finally, she pushed into the offensive, using a series of forward flips to deal kick after kick at the blonde.

The blonde once again tried for a shot from her gauntlets, and this time Neo blocked it with style, spinning around to place her parasol over her shoulder and perch on one leg. The blonde jumped forward and aimed a punch at her parasol, and Neo used the momentum to spin around and once again use her closed parasol to deflect the blonde's clumsy blows.

She was getting bored now, it was probably time to -

The blonde grabbed her leg, and for a split second Neo's heart leapt into her throat. Her pulse sang as her opponent threw her, and Neo immediately knew she had won. If the blonde had gone for a takedown, that could have been it, but instead Neo was able to recover and sprint forward, leap up onto the blonde, grab her hand, and perform a flawless takedown of her own that slammed her against the roof of the train car. She landed flat on her back, unconscious.

Neo took a moment to savor the adrenaline rush and the sight of her opponent, defeated. She lived for this, the feeling of power that came from victory, the knowledge that she was the one with control over life and death...

And now, the finishing blow. Neo walked forward, drawing her misericorde from her parasol. All the fear she had been through, all the suffering that she carried with her from those years on the street, melted away as she prepared for a swift downward stab into the blonde's heart.

Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her. Turning, she saw a woman with a fearsome red katana lunge forward and knock Neo back. The blow was softened by her Aura, but the sheer swiftness of the attack was enough to give Neo pause. And as the new challenger's sword telescoped to impossible size, Neo felt icy fear grip her heart. Her blood, previously pounding in her head with the rush of victory, now froze, and Neo knew this was not a fight she could win.

She prepared an elaborate illusion, one that would make her opponent think she had teleported away. And as she cast it, she spared a glance at the blonde she had defeated, lying on the floor of the train car.

 _We have unfinished business blondie. We'll meet again._

/

The streets of Vale lay silent. The panic and terror had given way to a frightened silence. Neo watched the empty square where the train had burst forth not hours before, allowing hordes of Grimm to tear their way through the city. She felt a strange sense of horror at the scale of destruction. Strange, because she'd witnessed many terrible things in her, committed some of them, but they all seem small compared to this. She'd never had this much blood on her hands. She wasn't altogether unfamiliar with this feeling, but she hadn't felt it in a long time.

 _It wasn't my fault, they made me do it..._

She seized on that feeling and pushed it down deeper. Forget about whose fault it was. It wasn't even worth feeling bad about. The world was a big, scary place, terrible things happened all the time. Why feel bad for, what, a few dozen people? It wasn't like they had ever done anything for her. The "heroes of Vale" had saved the city, but Roman had wound up in Ironwood's custody. The only man who had ever cared for her was punished, while the rest of the city would go on as usual. That didn't seem so fair.

"Hello, Neo."

Neo spun around, hand on her parasol, ready to draw the hidden blade if need be. She saw Cinder and her two lackeys, approaching Neo from the alleyway behind her. Instantly, her mouth dried up. There was no way she could speak to them, she _physically couldn't_.

"It's a shame that poor Roman had to be put away," Cinder said in her sultry tone. Neo hid her anger, choosing instead to relax her combat-ready stance and stare at the ground near Cinder's feet.

"But you'll have a chance to help him escape."

Neo raised her eyes slightly, briefly making eye contact. Fire glowed behind Cinder's eyes, windows into an inferno. Neo had briefly seen those inner fires unleashed when Cinder had recruited her and Roman. The sight had dredged up memories of the fire that had claimed Neo's home, and cowed her into submission.

"You'll need a disguise. For someone of your skills, that shouldn't be a problem. After that...you'll come with us to Beacon. How would you like to be on a team with us, Neo?"

There was a hint of amusement in Cinder's voice.

 _I'd like to run away with Roman and never see you again,_ Neo thought, but she nodded once. Emerald and Mercury were unknown quantities. They were skilled, that much Neo knew, but until she knew their weapons and Semblances, they were too dangerous to risk a fight with. And Cinder was...something more than human.

She stepped forward and placed her hand on Neo's cheek. Neo could feel her skin, hotter than any human's had a right to be, but she didn't dare shy away. She stood there, barely preventing herself from shaking, as she remembered what it was like to be helpless. To be a scared child, alone and hungry and desperate, barely able to raise a hand to defend herself. She hated those memories. She tried ever waking moment to bury them, to distance herself from that scared lonely child.

And Cinder had stripped all those carefully-built defenses away.

"We're going to do great things, Neopolitan. And you're going to be a part of them."


	2. Prologue 2

Neo moved through the fairgrounds unnoticed. Using her illusions, she could hide in plain sight, becoming another face in the crowd. And she had experience at moving unseen. It was an invaluable skill, out on the streets where she'd spent most of her childhood. Most people passed you by anyway, hardly taking notice of another homeless child. A disguise was more than just appearance, though, one needed to act as if though they belonged, to stride with purpose. Head towards their destination with intent.

The only problem was, Neo couldn't find her destination. The guest dorms were somewhere, she knew, but it wasn't as if she could ask for directions, so she'd wandered aimlessly. She supposed she could text Emerald or Mercury with her Scroll, but she wanted to avoid the two as much as possible.

Neo suddenly grunted as she turned a corner and ran into someone. She stepped back, then looked up to see her old rival the blonde. Her first instinct was to raise her defenses, but she fought that down and relaxed as the blonde turned around and looked down at her. When no sign of recognition crossed her face, Neo smiled up at her apologetically.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there!" the blonde said "Are you here for the festival?"

Neo nodded. Her throat tightened, and she swallowed nervously. Though the chance of the girl recognizing her was slim, it grew more likely the longer Neo went without speaking. She was also hoping to find a way out of the conversation before she was forced to respond. She just _couldn't_ speak, not to anyone other than Roman. She didn't trust anyone, she couldn't after what she had been through. Years of hunger, cold, and a constant fight of survival had stripped that away from her.

"I'm Yang Xiao Long. What's your name?"

 _Damn._

Neo closed her eyes. She felt a stab of anxiety, an almost desperate need to run and hide. Still, she had to cover her tracks. Cinder would not tolerate failure. She opened her mouth, and was about to force herself to speak when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Yang! I see you've met my teammate!"

Neo looked up to see Emerald, smiling at Yang in a familiar way.

"This is...Florence. Sorry, she's _really shy_."

Neo blushed. Emerald began to steer her away from Yang, smiling over her shoulder. Yang returned the smile and waved goodbye.

"Oh...well, see you around then! I'll keep an eye out for you in the tournament!"

Neo took a deep breath to calm herself as Emerald led her through a set of double doors into the school. Once there, Emerald suddenly turned and pushed her against the wall.

"What is _wrong_ with you!? Do you want to blow our cover before the tournament even starts?"

Neo slipped out of Emerald's grasp and reached for the hidden blade she kept stowed at the back of her belt. While one hand stayed on the handle of the blade, the other pulled out her Scroll.

[You're not my boss, Sustrai. I don't answer to you.]

Emerald scowled and turned on her heel, most likely towards the dorms. Neo slowly took her hand off her hidden blade and followed her.

"Your little bit of stage fright back there could have cost us everything. You're lucky Cinder finds you useful."

Neo rolled her eyes and turned her Scroll over in her hands. Emerald's thinly-veiled threats meant nothing to her. From Cinder, sure, but Neo knew the thief would never act without her superior's orders. Neo was safe, so long as she stuck to her part of the plan.

"Look just stay in your room and don't talk to anyone. Shouldn't be hard for you right?" Emerald asked sharply. Neo gave her a sickly-sweet smile and made a note to make Emerald pay for the jab later.

She didn't intend to work for Cinder forever, after all.

/

Neo sat in the ambulance driver's seat and watched the footage play back again. She had missed witnessing Yang Xiao Long's finals match firsthand, but the footage was all over the RemNet. Neo watched intently as Yang blocked, dodged, and generally performed far, far better against Mercury than she had back on the train.

 _Where was this skill before? Were you really that angry?_

Yang was even more fearsome when her Semblance was activated. She gave off that same firey glow, and when she waded back into the fight, she continued to dodge and block, while every punch had even more force behind it. It was no surprise that Mercury was defeated handily.

Neo almost felt cheated. If only Yang had controlled her anger, their fight on the train could have been glorious, strength pitted against dexterity, two skilled opponents engaged in a dangerous dance...instead, Yang's anger had made her sloppy. Perhaps Yang had learned in the time since their last match, but judging by her fight against the two Atlesians, Neo wasn't so sure...

Neo watched as the cameras kept rolling after the end of the fight. She knew that what she was watching didn't match up with what actually happened. The world thought Yang mercilessly attacked a defeated opponent, when in reality Emerald had used her Semblance to trick her into thinking Mercury had attacked her.

Neo...wasn't sure how she felt about that. Aside from not liking Emerald or Mercury on principle, she didn't think Yang _deserved_ it. Sure, Neo was no stranger to using her own illusions in combat, but the purpose here hadn't been to defeat Yang, but to destroy her reputation, hurt her emotionally, and undermine her confidence. It just didn't seem...sporting.

Neo looked up. Cinder was walking towards her, putting a sway in her hips as always. Neo shut off her scroll and put it away. She noticed Cinder had her own scroll in her hands. No...this one was glowing red.

"Neo. Tomorrow is our big day. Are you ready to get Roman back?"

Neo's eyes went wide, and she nodded. Anything, anything to see Roman again, to know he was there to keep her safe! Cinder smirked and held out the scroll in her hands.

"Good. You'll be infiltrating the airship where he's being held captive...and while you're up there, you'll be making good use of this."

Neo looked at the screen. Set against the red background was the silhouette of a chess piece. A black queen, to be exact.

/

Another Atlesian soldier went down before her, and she finished him off with a swift downward stab. Neo grinned as she felt the adrenaline hit her brain.

If there was one thing she loved, it was the feeling of victory. She reveled in it. As long as she could kill, she would never have to worry about being that scared little girl who had barely survived on the streets. She'd never have to be powerless again.

These people were the enemy. They had taken Roman from her, and if she had to kill them to get him back, then so be it. She straightened herself, relishing the feeling of victory. The airship was designed to be crewed by a minimal number of soldiers, only twenty or so. That had been more than enough for Neo to take down, in ones and twos, even five at a time.

As the adrenaline faded from her system, she found her way to the prisoner's quarters. Breaking open the locker that held his hat and weapon was simple. From there, she located his cell and used the keycard taken from the captain's body to open it, revealing her old partner, Roman Torchwick.

"Well...it's about time," he said as he saw her. Neo smiled and handed him his hat and cane.

"Been practicing that one?" she asked quietly. He laughed and swept her up in a hug. She smiled and returned the gesture, giggling as he ruffled her hair.

"I missed you, kiddo. How've you been these last few weeks?"

Neo rolled her eyes.

"Terrible. Cinder's a pain, and the other two are worse."

Roman frowned.

"Well, tell you what. Let's finish this job, and then we'll see if we can't get this airship somewhere far, far away."

Neo's heart practically leapt out of her chest.

/

Neo watched as Roman fiddled with the controls. She wasn't even paying attention to what he was doing, she just loved watching him. After being held in that tiny cell, he was finally free, and he was no doubt enjoying it even more than she was. And now he was blasting the Atlesians out of the sky. No doubt Roman was finally getting some catharsis out of his weeks of imprisonment.

Personally, Neo had wanted to come to grips with Yang again, but the prospect of getting away from Cinder for good was enough for Neo to pass up on their rematch.

She watched as Roman directed the Atlesian robots in their battle below. She was sure there was some poetic irony in Atlas' reliance on machines being their downfall, but she left such musings to Cinder and her crew. What mattered was that the plan was working. Beacon at least would fall. A shame for Yang and her friends, but Neo tried not to make that her concern.

Really, Neo had very little personally invested in this fight. She didn't care about Cinder or the plan or whatever the White Fang were about. All she wanted was for her and Roman to get away safe and sound, just like they always had. Well, that and maybe have a few good fights along the way. Nothing made her feel more alive than dancing with death.

A loud thump on the outer hull of the airship broke Neo out of her thoughts. Roman sighed and waved at her.

"Go see what that is."

Neo smiled at Roman, nodded smartly, and turned to make her way to the access hatch.

/

"I may be a gambling man, but even I know there are some bets you just don't take!"

Neo felt like she was unstoppable. The little girl in the red hood who had given her and Roman so much trouble over the past year was hanging from the edge of the airship, she was riding high on the feeling of victory, and Roman was right there with her. The two had fought like a well-oiled machine. Despite the fact that Grimm swarmed through the air around him, she knew that with Roman she would be safe.

She stalked forward, extending the blade of her parasol and dragging it along the roof of the airship. Sparks danced around her feet as she approached Little Red.

"Like it or not, the people that hired me are going to change the world!"

Neo stood on the edge of the airship, the tip of her misericorde inches from Ruby's face. All she had to do was wait for Roman to give her the signal, and that would be the end. She took in every last detail of the girl's frightened face, savoring the power she had over her. It would be so easy to finish her off...

"You can't stop them, _I_ can't stop them, and you know the old saying: If you can't beat 'em -"

Suddenly, Ruby lunged forward, pressing the button on Neo's parasol and opening it up. She had time for a brief gasp of fear as she realized what was happening, then the wind filled her parasol and dragged her off the airship.

"Neo!"

The last thing she heard was him yelling her name in despair, then the fierce winds buffeted her, carrying her away from the only person who had ever loved her.


	3. Chapter 1

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk to you again.

The world outside was cold and dead. To Yang Xiao Long, it seemed like she had done nothing but stare out through her window for months. The days had blurred together, and the autumn trees had shed their leaves, blanketing the ground outside the Xiao Long House in red and gold, before those too had been covered by a layer of winter's first snow.

Yang wondered how long that would go on. Would she see winter turn to spring, then to summer? She felt that sitting in her bed for the rest of her life wouldn't be so bad. It wasn't as if she was good for anything else. Even before she had lost her arm, she had been completely unable to protect the people she loved. And now...and now those people had all left her.

No. Better to wait and let the world pass her by.

 _Useless. You've always been useless._

She'd always gone through life without thinking. Even when she'd had her first real defeat at the hands of Torchwick's sidekick, she hadn't changed her ways. And then, when Adam hurt one of the people she cared about most...she'd charged right in like always.

And suffered for it.

 _Weak. You've always been weak._

And then Blake had left her. Just like her mother had. Just like Ruby. She was alone now. Well, not truly alone. Her father had stayed with her, but she felt like she would have preferred to be alone. She was only causing him more pain, he didn't deserve that.

 _Now I'm just a burden._

Yang felt something. Even in her current state, her trained fighter's instincts had detected someone's presence. She sat upright.

It couldn't have been her dad, he and Zwei had gone into town to get groceries. She thought it could have been Uncle Qrow, maybe even Ruby...

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Movement. She heard very faint footsteps, only now recognizable due to the brief pause her voice had caused. Whoever it was, they were very stealthy.

/

Neo moved almost soundlessly through the hallway of the Xiao Long House, her Semblance making her invisible to any prying eyes. It hadn't been easy, tracking down Little Red's home without the CCT, but she still knew people from when she and Roman had been running their operation. People who specialized at finding other people. She'd set up a safe house nearby and staked out the house, waiting for the father to leave before moving in.

Her fist clenched around the handle of her misericorde. One swift stab from behind, and it would all be over. Roman would be avenged.

But as she checked every room, her heart sank. Little Red was nowhere to be found. She couldn't have left, Neo had been watching the place for almost a week...so where was she? Definitely not at home.

There was one other person in the house, Neo soon found. The voice had given her away. In the guest room, her old rival, Yang Xiao Long, lay in bed. Neo's breath caught as she laid eyes on her for the first time since the tournament.

The blonde's gaze was fixed on the doorway intently, but it was obvious she hadn't detected Neo's presence. Neo let out her breath as she saw a stump where Yang's right arm had once been. What had happened? Clearly it had affected her - she looked haggard, her once beautiful mane of hair tangled and dirty. Neo quickly assessed her, her fighter's instincts coming to the fore. There was no way she could fight with one arm. She even looked weaker than before. Neo had to find out where Little Red was. It was the only way she could move forward. And the only way to get information was from Yang.

She had to reveal herself. She had to know. Even if she had to use force.

Neo's heart quickened.

/

Yang's breathing grew erratic. She kept her eyes fixed on the doorway, waiting for whoever it was to show themselves. She had no idea who it could be.

Probably the last person she expected was Roman Torchwick's sidekick, the one she'd fought on the train. Neo, that's what Ruby had said her name was.

She appeared suddenly in the doorway, staring levelly at Yang. For a second, Yang wasn't sure she was really there. She certainly looked different from the last time they'd seen each other, back on the train: she wore a heavy winter coat over her usual clothes, though those looked more tattered and dirty than Yang remembered. She had Roman's bowler hat perched on her head at a jaunty angle. Where once her pink and brown hair had been tied back in ponytail, now it hung loose around her shoulders. Her parasol was folded and tucked under her arm. More than that, her face had a gaunt look to it, and her clothes hung loosely around her already slender frame.

"You," Yang growled. The girl nodded her head. Her mismatched eyes were hard, her face determined. "Why are you here?" Yang asked.

Neo stalked forward. She pointed up at her hat and tilted her head at Yang, as if expecting an answer. Yang stared back at her.

"Roman? He's dead. Ruby told me. He was eaten by a Griffon."

Neo swallowed and her face briefly flickered with - sadness? Acceptance? Either way, Neo quickly composed herself.

"Is that why you're here? To get revenge?"

Neo shrugged noncommittally.

"Well, you're too late. Ruby's gone. I don't know where, she's just...gone."

Yang thought it was a good thing Ruby was gone. Neo couldn't hurt her. And it wasn't like Yang could do anything to help her anyway...

 _I don't care what happens to me. Not anymore. I'm just glad you can't find Ruby._

Neo looked at Yang closely. Yang wondered why she was allowing Neo to stand there, in front of her. Either Neo would walk away, leaving Yang alone again, or she would kill Yang, in which case...well, Yang couldn't stop her even if she wanted to.

After a long, silent moment, Neo blinked, and her eyes switched colors. She pulled out a Scroll and turned it over in her hands, nervously, it seemed to Yang.

"I thought those didn't work anymore," she said. Neo tapped away at it, then held it out so Yang could see it.

[I need it. Can't talk.]

"Can't? Or won't"

Neo shrugged. Yang supposed the answer didn't matter. Neo stared at Yang for a moment before tapping at her Scroll again.

[What happened to your arm?]

Yang felt a surge of shame. She remembered Blake's scream of pain, a flash of red, searing pain...

 _Why should I tell you?_ she wanted to say, but she hardly had the energy in her to be defiant. Instead, she looked down at the blankets, at her remaining hand gripping them tightly.

"Adam Taurus happened."

Neo blinked again, and stared at Yang for a moment. Yang thought she saw Neo's breath catch in her throat. The smaller girl tapped at her Scroll.

[Would you like to get your revenge?]

/

Neo held her breath as Yang read the text on her Scroll. Depending on her answer, Neo could have a path forward. Revenge could be hers, if only Yang would accept...

Instead, Yang's face contorted with anger.

"How!? I was too weak to beat him before, and that was _with_ my arm! Now...now I'm nothing."

She shut her eyes and covered her face with her hand. Neo felt a stab of pity.

 _This is pathetic. You were supposed to be my rival._

She'd felt the same, right after Roman died. For days she had lain on a bare mattress in a safehouse, consumed by grief. Then, slowly, the grief was replaced by rage. An all-consuming hatred for Cinder Fall, who had pulled her and Roman into her schemes, who had taken Roman from her. Neo was willing to do anything to get revenge, even ally with her one-time rival. And as for fending for herself, she'd been alone before, being alone again was...well, she could handle it.

She'd come here for revenge. To find Little Red and kill her, like Yang thought. But Little Red was nowhere to be found, and instead Neo only found her old rival. And when she'd heard that Ruby was gone without a trace, for a moment it seemed like the trail had gone cold. It seemed like her quest was done, and she had nothing left.

 _I have to keep going, though. For Roman._

Neo hadn't expected to discover the details of Roman's death so easily. She was sure Yang was telling the truth. The poor girl had no reason to lie. She had no reason to do anything. So, Little Red wasn't to blame for Roman's death. Not entirely. Cinder held most of the blame. Maybe Little Red...Ruby...would have her reckoning one day. Neo thought about hunting her down, but without any leads she'd be completely lost. No, better to wait until their paths crossed by chance. Until then...

 _This isn't over. I still have to find Cinder. But I can't do it alone..._

Once her instincts would have prevented her from putting her trust in someone she hardly knew, but her need for revenge overruled that. Neo tapped out a message on her Scroll and sat on the bed next to Yang. She nudged her shoulder gently, and when the blonde looked up hesitantly, she held up her Scroll for Yang to see.

[I could help.]

Yang stared at her blankly.

"Why?"

[Because Cinder took Roman from me. And she took a lot of things from you, too.]

Neo couldn't fight Cinder by herself. She needed allies. She knew firsthand how strong Yang was, as well as the raw potential she had to be a great fighter. Yang could be useful to her.

Yang stared at her for a moment. Neo hoped she was considering her offer. However, when she finally spoke, it was to ask a question.

"Who was Roman to you?"

Neo's smirk faltered again. Roman was _everything_ to her. Home. Safety. Food. Warmth. A father. A friend. A protector. Cinder had taken that away. She had taken _everything_ from Neo.

She tapped at her Scroll, then showed it to Yang.

[He was like my father. He was the only person who ever cared for me.]

While Yang digested that, Neo tapped out another message.

[Cinder forced us to work for her. It's her fault he was on that airship in the first place. And if Ruby didn't kill him, then she holds the most blame.]

Tap tap tap.

[She needs to pay. We both want that. So let me help you train. You might be weak now, but I know how to make you strong again. We can find Cinder and make her pay for what she's done.]

To be honest, Neo didn't even know if Cinder was still alive. She'd need to track down Emerald and Mercury first, and find out what they know, if they even knew anything. And she _couldn't_ do it alone. Neo felt like she was chasing shadows, but it was all she had. Deep down, she had to admit that she was desperate for any reason to keep moving forward.

 _I can't believe this...but I need your help, Yang._

Neo let Yang read the message, then put down her Scroll and looked at Yang expectantly. Neo hoped that she would say yes. That they could start down the road to getting Yang to full strength. That they could work together to make Cinder pay. Yang quietly returned Neo's gaze for a moment, then turned to look out the window.

"Get out of my house."

Neo's face fell. She took a deep breath, stood up, and left without making a sound.

 _Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine?_


	4. Chapter 2

A few days had passed since Neo's unexpected visit. Yang wasn't sure exactly how many, since they all seemed to blur together. In the intervening time, Yang had continued to be alone with her thoughts.

For one, she couldn't stop thinking about Neo's offer. Her one-time rival, the girl who had tried to _kill_ her, who had cooperated with terrorists to destroy Vale, who had _helped_ the people who took her arm and killed Pyrrha and Penny and hurt Blake...offering to help her? True, they both had Cinder to blame for their misfortune, but Yang had been surprised at just how attached Neo seemed to be to Roman, to be that focused on revenge. Yang had never expected Neo to feel _anything_ for another person. She'd always thought of her as some sort of psychopathic killer. Pure evil.

 _There's no such thing as pure evil._

That was what Blake had said. Yang still felt a pang of sadness, even just thinking about her.

And then there was another unexpected moment from her meeting with Neo. For the first time in what was probably months, she had felt something. She had felt anger, sure, but it had been something. When Neo had asked if she'd wanted revenge, she felt herself beginning to flare up, seen red creeping into the edge of her vision. Yes, she very much wanted revenge. She wanted to see Adam suffer for what he did, for hurting Blake most of all. But then the cold reality of her situation had quenched the fires of her anger, and she had given up.

She'd been doing a lot of that lately.

"Hey, firecracker."

Yang turned to face the doorway. Her father was standing there, arms folded, giving her a half-hearted smile.

"How're you doing?"

Yang broke eye contact quickly, staring down at her blankets dully.

"Fine," she lied. Her dad's smile faded.

"So...a friend of yours stopped by," he said hesitantly. Yang raised her eyes again. For a second, her heart quickened.

"Who is it?" she asked, not daring to hope that one of her teammates had found her.

"It's Florence. The girl with the twintails? She said you met at the Vytal Festival. Well, she typed it out..." her father said. Yang felt her heart sink. Of course it wasn't one of her teammates. Why would they want to come back to her?

The realization struck her.

 _Florence? That was the girl with...oh._

She stared at her dad closely. When he showed no sign of recognition. Yang decided he must have bought Neo's disguise.

 _Right, he was on a mission, he wasn't watching the tournament. He doesn't know that's Neo._

Yang found herself wondering why Neo had come back. Once again she felt anger surge up inside her, this time tempered with curiosity. Why was Neo so intent on helping her? Yang decided to at least find out before taking any course of action. She wouldn't be in any danger with her dad home.

"Tell her I'll be out in a minute," Yang said. This time her dad gave her a big, honest grin and turned to leave.

"I will! You're lucky to have a friend that cares so much about you, Yang," he said as he started off towards the kitchen.

"Sure. Some friend," she said through gritted teeth.

She threw off the blankets and swung her legs out over the edge of the bed. Bracing herself against the nightstand, she rose shakily to her feet. Aside from trips to the bathroom, she'd hardly left her bed in the last few months. She took a step and almost stumbled, then righted herself, cursing her own weakness. She straightened up and set out for the kitchen.

"Let's see what the little pint-sized killer wants," she grumbled to herself.

/

Neo drummed her fingers on top of one of the two cardboard boxes resting on the Xiao-Long's kitchen table. She looked around the kitchen. It was quaint, homey. Nothing like the safehouse she'd been staying in recently...

For a moment she had been afraid Taiyang had seen through the disguise she'd worn at the tournament, but when he showed no sign of recognition she relaxed. She was playing a dangerous game, coming back like this, but she needed Yang. She needed help, as much as she hated to admit it to herself.

The heavy tread of Yang's feet warned Neo of the blonde's arrival. The brawler entered the kitchen, wearing a dull brown shirt and matching shorts. Now that Neo could see her in full, she realized just how much her depression had eaten away at her. Her once beautiful hair was now matted and dirty, and her strong limbs looked thinner. No doubt she had been eating less since losing her arm.

"What do you want?" Yang asked, looking at the two boxes Neo and brought with her. Collecting their contents had taken almost a week, and carrying them alone to the Xiao-Long house hadn't been easy.

"What's in the boxes?"

Neo brightened somewhat and opened one. She pulled out a book and handed it to Yang, who took it with her remaining arm and read the cover.

" _Aura-Integrated Mechanics for Beginners_? What's this for?"

Neo mimed slapping something onto her wrist, then aimed a punch at thin air. Yang cocked her head at the smaller girl in confusion, then blinked.

"Ember Celica?"

Neo nodded and produced a wrench from her box, waving it in Yang's direction with a questioning look on her face. Yang sighed.

"Yeah, I built them. But I lost the right one when..." she trailed off, and Neo moved around the table. Yang flinched back reflexively, but relaxed when Neo pointed at the stump of Yang's right arm. This time Yang looked angry.

"What are you getting at?"

Neo sighed. She almost wished she could talk to the blonde, just to make things easier. But even if she thought Yang was worth the wasted breath, her mental block would only let fer force out a hoarse rasp at best. She didn't want anyone to hear that, to break the illusion Neo had carefully crafted of a bold and confident fighter.

Instead, she walked over to the second box and pulled out something that had taken quite a bit of effort to acquire. Yang stared at it, then at Neo, as the point finally got through her thick skull.

"That's an Atlesian Knight's arm..." she said quietly. To be exact, it was an Atlesian Knight's arm in perfect condition, detached from the owner's body with mechanical precision. Every wire and circuit was in perfect working condition, Neo had made sure of it.

"You want to build me a new arm...with that?"

Neo shook her head and pointed at herself, then Yang. _We're going to build it_ , went the unspoken statement. Yang shook her head. She didn't want to deal with this.

"Not happening. Look, even if I wanted to...in order to control a mechanical part like that with my Aura...do you know how much Dust we'd need to power it?"

This time Neo grinned triumphantly. She pushed the second box over to Yang, who looked down inside it. Vial upon vial of fire and electric Dust filled it almost to the brim. Yang's jaw dropped.

"Oh...right. You've been robbing Dust shops all year."

Neo gave Yang a smug grin. She and Roman had stashed a bit of their haul away in a few safe houses, just in case. And now it would be put to good use.

/

Yang pushed the box of Dust back across the table.

"I'm not interested," she growled.

Part of Yang wanted to force Neo out of her house right now, but she knew that even at full strength she couldn't hope to beat Neo. Now...

Besides, her dad was home. If Neo tried anything, _he_ could probably handle her. Which was why she had come disguised as Yang's friend. Yang sighed and leaned against the table. Whatever happened, she wasn't in too much danger. So she could tell Neo off like a normal person.

"You're serious about helping me?" she asked, "No hard feelings?"

Neo smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Yang sighed and ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

 _Too bad I can't say the same,_ she thought bitterly.

"Look. I know what you're trying to do. But I'm not helping you. Even if I wanted to get out there and find Cinder, or Blake, or Adam..."

She paused. She hated Neo. She really did. She was one of the people who helped tear down Beacon. And for her to paint herself as just as much of a victim as Yang was...disgusting.

Neo, though, didn't seem to see it that way. She held the robot arm in her hands, quietly moving the fingers, making sure all the joints worked. She occasionally glanced up at Yang, a disinterested look on her face.

"I don't want a new arm," Yang said flatly.

 _I'm not worth the effort,_ she thought.

"I think you should give it a try," said a voice from behind her. Yang spun around and saw her dad, again leaning against the doorway, arms folded.

"I mean...even if you don't want to use it...it'd be good to have a project to work on. You know, just to have something to do," he said kindly. Yang looked at him, then at the ground.

She could unveil Neo's disguise right now. Her dad could get rid of her, and Yang would never have to worry about her rival again. But Neo _was_ her rival. She wanted to beat her. The only thing she wanted more was to defeat Adam, and stop Cinder, and find her team again. She just thought that it was impossible. That she was to weak to do it, even if she tried. If only she had her arm back...

And looking back at her father, Yang knew she didn't want to disappoint him. She couldn't imagine how he felt, having to watch her waste away in bed all day. Maybe working on something would give him peace of mind. She looked back at Neo.

 _Why do you care so much? Why do you need a weakling like me?_

The girl was looking at her expectantly. If this really was an honest attempt to get Yang's help, and not some elaborate plan to get Yang to let her guard down...

"Give me that," she snapped, snatching the arm away. She held it, turning it over in her left hand. Now that she looked at it, she thought that maybe her dad was right. It would give her something to focus on. Even if she had to work on it with Neo...the girl did seem earnest about wanting to team up, but Yang still couldn't forgive her for what she'd done.

"I'll do it," she said hesitantly. Her dad smiled and walked over to her.

"That's great, firecracker," he said, pulling her into a warm hug. Her frown melted away and she returned the hug.

"Thanks, dad," she said softly.

"You're going to be okay, Yang," he said. He pulled away from the hug, ruffled her hair, and stepped away.

"And thanks for your help. I'm glad Yang has a friend like you," he said. The smaller girl looked up from the tools she was laying out and smiled sweetly. As her dad left, Yang and Neo looked at each other, Yang's frown met by Neo's smug grin. The girl blinked, and her eyes turned from bright green to pink and brown.

"I'm still not going to forgive you."

Neo pulled out her Scroll and tapped away at it.

[I don't need your forgiveness. Just your help.]

Yang looked down at table, strewn with tools and equipment. She looked at the robot arm, lying in her hands. She imagined herself, whole again. Her old self. She wanted that. She'd tried to convince herself that she didn't, to save herself the pain of failure. But she didn't want to give up anymore. She didn't want to let Neo or Adam or Cinder or anyone else keep her down.

"You really think we can fix...me?" she asked, voice hoarse with emotion. Neo stepped forward and gently placed one gloved hand on her remaining arm.

[There's only one way to find out, Yang]

Yang blinked back tears and pulled away from Neo's touch. She hefted the robot arm in her hands.

"We'll need some way to attach it," she said sharply, "And I'll need help with the gauntlet."

Neo smirked and help up her Scroll.

[Would you say you'll need a...hand?]

Yang stared at Neo for a moment, then let out a bitter snort of laughter. Then a chuckle. And then, for the first time in months, she was laughing.


	5. Chapter 3

Yang had a lovely laugh. Neo thought it was sweet and musical. After seeing the state Yang was left in after losing her arm, it was like...it was like seeing the sun peek out from behind the clouds.

Neo suddenly blushed and turned back to her mechanic's tools. Where had _that_ come from?

Luckily, she was saved from any introspection when Yang's expression sobered and she moved closer to Neo.

"So. Are we really doing this? Are we going to team up?" she asked, with a bit of hostility, Neo did not fail to note. Neo pulled out her Scroll.

[Looks like it, blondie. You got a problem with that?]

Yang looked at Neo sternly.

"I just want to get one thing straight."

Neo smiled innocently and waved her hand at Yang. _Go on,_ went the unspoken statement.

Yang stepped forward, towering over Neo. She poked her finger at Neo's chest.

"Look. I don't _want_ you here. I don't _like_ you. You're a murderer, and if I it were up to me I'd never have to see you again."

Neo felt a surge of anger, but once again caught herself before she typed out something she'd regret. She instead chose to smirk at Yang before typing out her response.

[Then why not tell daddy? I'm sure he could take care of it for you.]

Yang looked upset at that. Really, Neo had wondered why Yang hadn't warned her father. Maybe it was personal...

[We're rivals, is that it? You want to defeat me yourself. But you can't, can you, blondie?]

Yang stared at her, her fist clenched. Neo quickly typed out another message.

[But maybe with a new arm and some training, you could. Guess we'd have to see...]

/

Yang gritted her teeth as Neo blinked up at her innocently. Yang didn't want to admit that what Neo's guess was not only accurate, but had cut her deeply. She really did want to beat Neo on her own, and she hated that she couldn't. She also hated that her pride wouldn't allow her to let dad handle it.

 _But she is right. I have to beat her._

She took a deep breath and locked eyes with Neo.

"Yeah. You're right. We're rivals. And that means _I'm_ the one who gets to defeat you. So...sure. You can try to make me stronger again. And then we'll have a rematch."

Yang didn't think she'd get there. Whenever she looked at herself in the mirror, she was reminded of how weak she really was. She was reminded of just how much work she'd have to do to even reach her old skill level. And when she thought of all that work, she wondered what the point was.

But it was like Neo had said...there was only one way to find out if it was really possible.

[I'm looking forward to it, sunshine.]

Yang looked down at Neo. The smaller girl was wearing a half-mocking grin and looking up at Yang, one eye pink, one silver. Yang bared her teeth.

"But we're going to make a deal out of it. If you win, I'll help you with your little revenge scheme. But if I win, I never want to see you again."

Neo held her gaze for a moment, then held out one gloved hand. Yang stared at it.

"And I want this to be fair. You're not going to stab me in the back, right?"

[Wouldn't dream of it.]

"The it looks like we have an agreement," Yang said firmly.

[Deal?]

Yang grabbed Neo's small hand in her own. She felt her heartbeat quicken. She was really going to do it. She was going to try and get back on her feet...and, to her profound surprise, her formal rival was going to help her.

"Deal."

For a moment, they stood there in silence. Yang was the first to speak.

"So...what now?"

Neo gestured at the tools, books, boxes, and mechanical parts stremn across the table.

[We should probably move this into the garage]

/

Neo was impressed with the Xiao Long's garage. With no car, most of the space was taken up by exercise equipment and machining tools. Neo spied a lathe, a workbench, and several cabinets, as well as dumbbells on racks, a punching bag, and a chinup bar. Neo walked over to one of the cabinets and opened it, and saw rows of drawers no doubt full of tools and spare parts. The cabinet also held an angle grinder and an acetylene torch. She raised an eyebrow and looked back at Yang.

The blonde set down one of the cardboard boxes on the workbench and looked at the cabinet, then around the garage.

"Yeah, we had to learn how to make and maintain our own weapons, plus I had the bike to work on, but Ruby was always more into this mechanic stuff..."

Yang trailed off and looked at the floor pensively. From what Neo understood, Yang once had a motorcycle before it was lost at Beacon, bringing up memories of that plus her sister was probably not good for her. She moved over to Yang and pulled out her Scroll. She opened it up and began searching through it. It sure was lucky Cinder had downloaded all the data from Ironwood's network before the CCT went down...

Yang whistled appreciatively as Neo showed her the schematics for the Atlesian Knight, or more specifically for the arm. She reached out with her left hand and began manipulating it.

"So...should we start designing then?"

Neo nodded eagerly. The quicker they started, the quicker Yang would be distracted from her predicament.

/

"Hold it steady, you little murderer," Yang growled. Neo frowned up at her and adjusted her grip on the Scroll. Yang glared at her and went back to making adjustments to the schematic Neo had stored on her Scroll.

"We'll need to cut it off _here_ ," Yang said, marking off the robot arm where it would attach to her stump, "And that's where we'll attach the harness."

Yang looked back at the robot arm, lying on the workbench surrounded by measuring tools, and Neo followed her gaze.

It would have to be heavily modified. Since Atlesian Knights were already powered by Dust, they would have to hollow out a space just above the elbow to plug in Dust canisters, and after that they could hook it up to the existing power lines. After that, they'd need to build a new Ember Celica and bolt it to the forearm, then hook up the cybernetics that would allow Yang to transform it...

And before all that, they'd need the harness that would attach it to the stump of Yang's right arm. The upper part would involve a belt that wrapped around her bicep, connected by a series of fasteners to a metal cap. The metal cap's outer covering would have a screw thread wrapping around, with a matching thread inside a socket on the end of the arm, so that it could be screwed on, as well as a series of metal clasps which would serve to make it more secure.

"Alright, my arm's getting tired, let's take a break," Yang said. Neo folded up her Scroll and turned it over in her hands. Neo watched as Yang sat down at the workbench and sipped from a bottle of water. Neo ran her fingers through her pink-and-brown hair. Once she was sure that Yang's father wouldn't bother them, she'd dropped her disguise. It didn't take any effort to maintain it, but she was more comfortable without it.

"Hey, Neo?" Yang asked as she put down the bottle, "Can I ask you a question?"

Neo paused uncomfortably. After a moment, she opened her Scroll again and typed out a response.

[What is it?]

Yang raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the work table.

"How did you and Roman meet?"

This time Neo had to think for a moment. On the one hand, she needed Yang to trust her. And, she supposed, it would be best for their partnership if she trusted Yang as well.

She carefully walked over to the workbench, inspecting Yang's face. She seemed genuinely curious, so Neo took a deep breath and began typing.

[When I was a little girl, my house burned down. My parents were in it. My throat was damaged too.]

As Yang read the message, Neo could see pity spread across her face.

"Oh...Neo, I'm so sorry."

Neo swallowed, remembering screams and scorched air forcing itself down her throat...

Yang rubbed at her right shoulder uncomfortably.

"Is that when Roman took you in?

Neo shook her head.

[Not until later. I lived on the streets for a long time.]

She stared closely at Yang. The blonde seemed legitimately sympathetic to her plight. That was good. The few people Neo had shared her past with had reacted with hostility or fake sympathy. Not Roman, though. He knew what she'd been through.

"I can't imagine what that was like..." Yang said quietly. Neo pulled her heavy coat tighter around herself and shuddered. Her hands shook with emotion as she typed out a response.

[I hated it. I was afraid nearly every day, cold and hungry most of the time]

Yang raised her hand and looked for a moment as if she wanted to reach out and comfort Neo. Then, she lowered her hand and gripped the hem of her shorts tightly.

[And I had to...do things to survive]

Yang bit her lip.

"Like what?"

Neo gave her a bitter half-smile.

[What do you think?]

Yang stared at the floor. Neo had killed a lot, first for self-defense, alter for food or money. By the time she joined Roman, she was very, very good and killing. And that was a useful skill for a criminal. She was happy to use it to help Roman. By that time she was learning to enjoy it, to relish the feelings of power. Not that Yang would understand.

"It must have meant a lot when Roman took you off the streets."

Neo remembered that cold winter day, Roman's kind face, his outstretched hand.

 _I'm not going to hurt you, kid..._

Neo sat down cautiously on the end of the workbench. When Yang didn't shy away, she typed out her response.

[It meant everything. He gave me a home, food...he was my friend too. More than that. He was like a father]

Neo swallowed again, remembering all the time she had spent with Roman, quietly talking to him about her fears, him giving her advice and comfort. And now he was gone. More than just a provider, she'd lost her closest friend.

Yang sorted bitterly.

"I didn't think Roman had it in him."

[He once told me the best good deed he committed was taking me under his wing.]

/

 _Something tells me that was the only good deed he ever committed,_ Yang thought, but she didn't say it out loud.

She turned Neo's story over in her head.

She felt sorry for Neo, she really did. No one should have to go through what she did. But somewhere along the line that scared little girl had turned into a sadistic killer. Neo's murderous streak had to start somewhere. Yang imagined all it would take was one act of self-defense or desperation. If she was all alone, with no one to tell her right from wrong, she'd have to deal with her own guilt. Maybe she'd repressed it, forcing it deep down so that she could continue to kill without pause. Maybe she'd justified it somehow.

"Tell me more about Roman," she said. The Roman Neo knew sounded a lot different than the one she and Ruby had fought. She was beginning to wonder if he had something to do with how Neo turned out.

[He was funny. And kind. But only towards me.]

"Oh?"

Neo nodded.

[He taught me a lot of things. He taught me to look out for myself, because no one else would.]

"Except for him," Yang pointed out. Neo smiled faintly.

[He always said the world was a big, scary place, and we had to look out for each other.]

Her hand tightened around her Scroll.

[And then Cinder showed up.]

"What happened than?"

[She forced Roman and I to work for her. Everything we did...it was on her orders]

Yang thought about that for a moment. It was certainly interesting, to learn just why Roman was working for Cinder and her crew...but then she remembered how he laughed as he tried to shoot her sister, or how Neo had worn a confident smirk on her face as she tried to kill Yang, and she remembered who she was dealing with.

Whatever Neo's past, whatever the circumstances of her working for Cinder, she still enjoyed every evil thing she did. Yang couldn't forgive her for that.

"That's why you want to kill Cinder so badly," Yang said. Neo nodded.

[None of this would have happened if it wasn't for her]

Yang couldn't disagree. Adam hurting her and Blake, Pyrrha and Penny's death, the destruction of Beacon...they were all due to Cinder.

"And so...you really think we have a chance to stop her together?"

Neo stared at the ground thoughtfully. She slowly typed out an answer.

[Maybe. I know what you're capable of. If you had the proper training again...yeah. We could at least beat Mercury and Emerald.]

"But...why me?"

Neo shrugged.

[I came here looking for your sister. The trail went cold. I don't know where the other two are. So...I guess I had nowhere else to go.]

They sat there silently for a moment, lost in their thoughts. Yang was thinking over the story of Neo's past.

"Can I ask you another question?"

Neo stared at her for a moment before nodding hesitantly.

"Do you regret anything you did?"

Again, Neo stared at her for a moment. Her expression hardened. She slowly, carefully typed out her response.

[No. I did what I had to do to survive. To help Roman and I. That's justification enough.]

Yang's shook her head in resignation. It seemed like her initial assumption was right. Whatever guilt Neo may have felt long ago, she had worked hard since then to suppress it, to build up justifications for what she had done. And then, somewhere along the line, she had grown to enjoy it as well.

"Do you really believe that, Neo?"

[I don't need to apologize for what I did.]

 _And who are you trying to convince, Neo?_

Before Yang could continue her line of questioning any further, there was a knock at the garage door.

"Girls? You mind if I come in?"

Yang quickly looked back at Neo, only to find she had rapidly cast her disguise again, and turned back to the door in time to see her dad open it, a plate in hand.

"I thought you two could use something to eat," he said, showing them a pair of sandwiches. Zwei scampered in past his feet, and came skidding to a halt in front of Neo. She smiled and went into a crouch, then ruffled his ears playfully.

 _No such thing as pure evil._

Neo was an unrepentant murder, sure, but somewhere in there was a reason for all the pain she caused others.

"So, did you get a lot of work done?" her dad asked. Neo took a sandwich from the plate and gleefully bit into it.

"Um...kind of. We worked on the design for a bit. I think it's going to take a while."

"Well, anything to focus on," her dad said.

Neo scarfed down her sandwich and quickly typed out a message on her Scroll.

[If it's alright with you, I need to go, Mr. Xiao Long. Looks like we've got some more materials to collect.]

"Alright, well, thanks for stopping by!" her dad said cheerily.

Neo turned to glance at Yang one last time.

[I'll be back the day after tomorrow.]

Yang glared at her before picking up her own sandwich.

"Sure. see you then."

/

Neo closed the front door behind her and stepped off the porch into the snow. The sun had just sunken behind the trees, leaving the western half of the sky the deep purple color of a dark bruise. There was a light flurry coming down, and the snow piled up around her ankles and landed in her hair. She checked behind her one last time to make sure all the curtains in front of the Xiao Long House were closed and dropped the disguise.

She sighed and pulled her heavy winter coat closer around her. She didn't relish the walk back through the snow to her safe house, but she was also extremely wary of staying in what she considered an unfriendly place overnight. Even if she trusted Yang or her father, she'd have to worry about Yang's dad discovering her disguise.

Her conversation with Yang still bothered her. She knew that Yang was quietly judging her. She hated that. The people who judged her, they didn't know what she'd been through. They didn't know true hunger, true fear. They didn't know what it was like to be cold and powerless. They'd never been forced to make the choices Neo did.

Well...no. Yang did know what it was like to be powerless, now that she'd lost her arm. It wasn't quite like the things Neo had gone through, but...she'd learn soon enough. The best way to make that feeling go away was by taking power for yourself. Usually by making someone else feel powerless. That's what Neo had learned.

She paused as she heard a sound from behind her. Turning, she saw Zwei, the family dog, padding after her through the snow. She turned and crouched as he walked towards her, almost up to his belly in the snow. She ruffled his ears and smiled.

"Go back inside, Zwei. You shouldn't be out in the cold like this," she whispered hoarsely. She always found it easier to talk to animals. They never judged her or mistreated her like humans had. Zwei barked and scampered back around the corner of the house. Neo stood up and looked at the house again. Light shone warmly through the windows, and smoke rose from the chimney. Neo was glad Yang's father had given her a sandwich. There wasn't much food left back at the safehouse.

She hesitantly turned to leave, blocking thoughts of food and warmth from her mind.

"Caw! Caw!"

She froze as she saw a crow flutter down and land on a wooden log close to her. The bird studied her for a moment, then preened itself and flew off again. Neo watched it go, feeling slightly uneasy for some reason. They way it had looked on her hadn't seemed...normal.

She shook her head again and disappeared into the snowy evening.

/

Yang massaged the bridge of her nose and tried to focus on the book in front of her.

"First Principle of Dust-Powered Prosthetics: Aura extends to every part of a Hunter's gear and equipment..."

Which was why she was able to beat up Ren with a pair of cooked turkeys. Her brief smile as she remembered the food fight vanished as all the painful memories that had occurred since then came flooding back.

She tried to push that away. Out of nowhere once Neo had left, she had suddenly felt the weight of her depression coming back to her. She'd tried to distract herself from reading a book Neo had given her on Atlesian prosthetics, but no matter what she stared listlessly at the page in front of her, her thoughts constantly returning to her own pain.

Her eyes scanned the sentence again.

What had Ruby used to say?

 _Our weapons are an extension of ourselves!_

Ruby. Yang sighed and pushed the book away.

The robot arm sat on the kitchen table in front of her. She flicked at the polished metal of the arm, listening to it ring faintly. It looked fragile, lying alone on the table. Was that what her own arm looked like, lying among the rubble at Beacon? Her stomach churned as she imagined it's fate.

Yang laid her head down on the table and rubbed at the stump of her right arm. Phantom pains still visited her sometimes, usually when she thought about Adam. Or Blake...

She still didn't know why Blake had left her. Her first instinct was to think it was because Yang was a failure who couldn't save her. Blake probably didn't feel safe around her teammates, and why should she? Yang couldn't even beat a rival half her size, and now that she was short an arm...

Well. That same rival was now free to wander around her own house, grinning smugly and _helping_ Yang build her new arm. Yang's gut churned as conflicting emotions welled up inside her. Shame, anger, pity...and another feeling she felt towards Neo. A confused sort of gratitude. When she had offered to help Yang, to give her a reason to get back on her feet...that felt good. It was the first time she felt good in...in a while.

But it didn't last long until Yang was reminded of her own inadequacy. And so she was alone in her kitchen, staring at what was supposed to be the replacement for the arm she had lost...

She heard her dad walk in, felt him standing above her.

"Hey, firecracker. How was your first day back on your feet?"

Yang didn't answer for a moment. Then, she sighed and stood up, not bothering to make eye contact.

"I'm going to bed."


	6. Chapter 4

Neo stared down at Yang's sleeping form. She shook her head and prodded the sleeping blonde.

Yang murmured and buried her face deeper in her pillow. Neo's response was to shake her.

"Mmf. Go 'way. Lemme sleep..."

Neo felt a surge on annoyance. She'd walked through the snow to be here, no way was she letting Yang enjoy a warm bed. Besides, they had work to do.

Luckily, Neo had experience leveraging weight. She planted one high-heeled boot against the bed and grabbed Yang's left arm with the other and hauled her out of bed. The blonde yelped and landed with a loud thump on her bedroom floor. Neo stepped back as Yang stumbled to her feet, furious.

Neo smiled triumphantly as Yang towered over her, fist clenched. She even thought she saw a tinge of red creeping into the edge of Yang's eyes.

Yang's breathing slowed, and she relaxed. Neo pulled out her Scroll and typed out a message.

[There. Got you out of bed.]

Yang glared at her.

"Whatever. Let's just have breakfast."

As she walked to the door, Neo held out her hand. Yang stopped and looked down at her angrily.

"What now?"

Neo reached up at Yang's face, and the brawler flinched away, only to relax when Neo touched a lock of her blonde hair. It was tangled, and Yang reached up to run her fingers through it as Neo released it and held up her Scroll.

[When was the last time you showered?]

Yang looked away uncomfortably.

"Don't remember," she mumbled. Neo began typing out a response on her Scroll.

[Shame, I liked your]

One of the few benefits of being unable to talk freely was being selective in your words. Neo realized what she was typing and paused. She quickly erased it and started again.

[Well, whatever. We've got a lot of work to do, sunshine.]

Yang looked at the Scroll, then at Neo. Then she pushed her way past her and made for the bathroom.

"I'm taking a shower."

/

Yang could accept Neo's presence. She'd spent the last couple days coming to term with her feelings and had decided that no matter what the girl's motivations, she and Yang were in this together. And the more time passed, the more Yang began to enjoy the idea of getting her arm back, training up, and finally getting back at Adam. Sometimes her hopes were tempered by the reality of the situation, but it was enough of a motivation for Yang to want to keep going. Besides, at the end of all this Yang could have the chance to beat some sense into Neo.

So, yes, she'd decided that it was easier to just go along with Neo's plan.

But she sure wasn't making it easy to do so.

 _Why the comment about my hair?_ she thought as she turned on the shower. It bothered Yang more than she wanted to admit. She used to be proud of her hair. She used to take good care of it, but after losing her arm and falling into her depression, she didn't bother anymore. What was the point?

Neo was right, though. It was getting matted and dirty. As Yang waited for the water to heat up, she looked at herself in the mirror and felt a surge of revulsion. She hated what she saw there, the weakness that had cost her not only her arm, but her spirit. She'd let her hair, the symbol of her pride, fall into disrepair.

 _That ends today._

Steam curling around her, she undressed and stepped into the shower.

/

Neo stopped short as she walked into the kitchen and was met by a smiling Taiyang. She smiled innocently as he turned to greet her.

"Good morning, Florence! I heard you come in so I thought I'd make breakfast for you and Yang!"

He paused and looked behind her.

"Where is Yang?"

[She's taking a shower]

Taiyang smiled and set a stack of pancakes down on the table.

"That's great!" he said. Neo realized she was staring hungrily at the pancakes, and Taiyang gestured at a chair.

"Have you eaten?"

In fact Neo had not had a full meal in a while, but she shrugged and sat down.

[I could have a bite, I guess...]

Taiyang smiled as she began loading her plate. He watched her expectantly, as if waiting for the chance to speak. Luckily, another benefit of speaking through text was that she could carry on a conversation while eating.

She typed as she shoved a forkful of pancakes in her mouth, savoring the warm fluffy texture. The only thing better than food was _good food_.

[Is there something you wanted to ask me, Mr. Xiao Long?]

"Actually, I wanted to thank you for helping Yang."

Neo swallowed her food and wiped her mouth daintily on a napkin. She smiled broadly.

[Anything to help a friend!]

Taiyang's face grew somber.

"Well...you're doing more to help her than I did."

He sighed, and Neo put down her fork and glanced around the kitchen awkwardly. She guessed some emotional moment was forthcoming and wasn't sure how she should react.

"I went through the same thing, after I lost Ruby's mom, but...I never knew how to get out of it, except taking it day by day. And so I couldn't really offer Yang any advice except to do the same..."

He swallowed, and Neo looked from him down at the table, unsure of what to do. She felt a little guilty, since her reasons for helping Yang were ultimately selfish, but at the same time...

"You know, with everything that's happened...especially after Ruby left, and seeing Yang the was she was, I felt kind of...helpless."

Neo felt a pang of sadness.

 _There's a lot of that going around._

Taiyang cleared his throat and put on a shaky grin.

"I'm glad you came along," he said, "I think Yang just needed something to change."

Before Neo could answer, Taiyang stood up and made his way towards the stove.

"I hope you like bacon!"

Neo stared down at her plate thoughtfully. She'd just been hoping to get Yang back on her feet so that she could be useful in her quest for revenge. It hadn't really ocurred to her that she'd actually be _helping_ her, or her dad for that matter. That was...an interesting feeling.

"Morning dad. Oh, pancakes!"

Yang strode into the kitchen, dressed in clean clothes and with her hair bound up in a towel. She sat down and began eating. Neo stared at her for a moment, then smiled and turned her attention to her own plate.

She felt...good.

Yang suddenly stopped eating and put down her fork.

"Something wrong, firecracker?" her said asked. Yang shifted uncomfortably.

"It's just...I'm going to have some trouble, brushing my hair with only one arm..."

Neo briefly thought about helping Yang brush her hair, running her fingers through those golden locks to looks for tangles, but before she could type anything out Taiyang smiled and put a hand on Yang's shoulder.

"How about I help? Just like when you were a kid, right?"

"Thanks dad," Yang replied with an earnest smile.

Neo blushed and focused on her food. It was a stupid idea anyway.

/

Yang bit her lip.

"I think we should start with cutting it off above the elbow."

Neo raised her eyebrow and stepped back, looking towards the cabinet that held the acetylene torch. Yang stayed seated.

"It's just...with one arm, I'm not sure if I can hold the torch steady. Too fast or too slow and it'll mess with the edge. And we only have one robot arm..."

Neo nodded. She wasn't experienced at forging weapons, but it did seem like crafting them with one hand lent itself to some trouble. She gestured to herself, and Yang shook her head.

"No, you're a novice, you wouldn't know what to look for."

Yang stared at the arm for a moment, giving Neo enough time to think of a response. Clearly Yang was worried that her arm would hamper her skill - which it would, to some extent - but she also clearly needed to complete it herself.

She just needed to take it one step at a time. Neo pulled out her Scroll and typed out a message.

[I think you can do it.]

Yang looked from the Scroll to Neo's face. She nodded.

"Okay. Let's get the torch."

/

The torch's roar was cut off suddenly as Yang shut it off. She raised her welding mask and looked at Neo. The smaller girl nodded at her and quickly loosened the vice's grip. She picked up the robot arm and moved the magnifying glass over on its long arm.

Yang watched nervously as Neo inspected the edge of the arm. She tore herself away and shut off the welding torch, storing it in the cabinet under the workbench. When she raised her head again, Neo gave her a smile and a nod, and Yang felt a rush of relief.

"Really? It's good?"

Neo nodded again and moved aside for Yang to inspect it herself. Sure enough, the cut was smooth, no jagged edges, clean through the arm at the point Yang had designated, halfway between what would be the elbow and the shoulder. Neo had carefully removed the wires and circuits with a pair of needlenose pliers, leaving only the metal sheathing and main skeleton intact above the elbow.

"Guess I wasn't as useless as I thought..." Yang said quietly. Neo tugged on her sleeve, and she turned to see that the smaller girl had typed out a message on her Scroll.

[See? I knew you could do it.]

Yang sighed and lightly shoved her away. She didn't need to be patronized right now.

"Let's get this over to the grinder and smooth it out," Yang said. In truth, she still _felt_ useless. As far as she was concerned, this proved nothing. So she could hold a welding torch. Big deal. She was still too afraid to do it herself until Neo had prodded her.

Still, they had taken the first step. She'd started the project, and she intended to finish it, even if she'd still be just as useless at the end of it.

Neo looked up at her, holding the robot arm gingerly in her hands.

She picked up the arm and moved over to the grinder. This, at least, she knew how to use.

/

The lathe screamed as it carved the metal cylinder into a perfect ring. Yang flipped the switch and turned off the machine, then watched as Neo removed the cylinder and set it on the workbench, where she quickly began to measure it. After a moment, Neo gave Yang a thumbs up, and Yang smiled.

"Alright, if it fits the measurements, it's ready to go. We'll weld it to the arm, then add the screw thread. And that'll be the socket," Yang explained.

Neo took out her Scroll.

[Explain it to me again.]

Yang nodded and reached for a shelf that held containers of screws, nails, nuts, and bolts. She grabbed one, a mostly empty jar, and handed it to Neo. She unscrewed the cap and hefted it in her hand.

"It's like this. The lid goes at the top of the arm. The jar is...it's like the harness."

Neo imagined the robot arm, a socket at the top, fitting over a metal cap that itself would fit over Yang's stump. She replaced the lid and turned it forty-five degrees, just as the arm would fit on Yang's harness. She set it down and picked up her Scroll.

[And then we attach the clasps]

"Right, so it'll stay in place," Yang said. She reached into one of the boxes Neo had brought and pulled out a little clasp, like the type one would find on a toolbox, and inspected it.

Neo looked back at the in-progress socket.

[Think you can handle the torch on your own?] she asked, a smirk on her face. Yang grinned.

"I know I can!"

/

Yang turned the vial of Dust over in her hand. She was lying across a big armchair in her family's living room. On the couch across from her, Neo was studying a book on Atlesian cybernetics, gnawing nervously. With Yang stuck with one hand, and her non-dominant one at that, it would come down to Neo to handle the delicate adjustments that would need to be made to the circuits in the arm.

Yang didn't like that. Even if it was the best course of action, it was still a reminder that she was still severely hampered by the loss of her arm.

 _It's your own fault anyway..._

Yang rubbed at her right shoulder and rolled over to look at Neo. The girl was sitting daintily on the couch, legs tucked underneath her as she turned the pages of the book.

"Hey, Neo?"

Neo looked up from her book and reached for her Scroll.

"Where did you get all this stuff? Not the Dust, I know you had it stowed away, but like, the arm and the parts and everything?"

Neo closed her book, using one finger to hold her place, while she moved to the end of the couch closest to Yang, so that she could read out her texts.

[What do you think?]

Yang frowned.

"Stolen. Course."

Neo rolled her eyes.

[Don't you want to get a new arm?]

Yang sat up, placing the Dust vial down on the coffee table as she did.

"Well, of course I do!"

[Then what's the problem?]

"I just wish you didn't have to steal the parts!"

Neo glared back at Yang, standing up as her fingers danced angrily across her Scroll.

[I'm helping you]

"Just because you have good intentions doesn't mean it's still bad," Yang hissed. She tried to ignore the part where Neo admitted she was trying to help. This argument wasn't about that, it was about Neo continuing to ignore her guilt.

"If you really want to help, you can do it without stealing."

/

Neo blinked and stared at Yang as multiple responses popped into her head.

 _Why do you care? Don't you want a new arm? Why does it matter that I'm stealing?_

But those questions vanished as she looked at Yang's face. She looked...upset. Seeing that, Neo felt a pang of something - sadness? Guilt, even?

Instead of a question, she typed out one word.

[Fine]

She quickly folded up her Scroll and strode to the front door huffily. She didn't need to deal with this.

Another question popped into her head. Why had she agreed?

Ordinarily, she'd get defensive. She'd stomp her foot and insist that she was justified, that it didn't matter what other people said. She was looking out for Yang - and never mind why she was doing that, either - so what did it matter what she did? But this time Neo's first instinct was to listen, to realize that her actions were upsetting.

Neo turned one last time to look at Yang. The blonde was gathering up the materials they had left lying around the living room, glancing at Neo out of the corner of her eye.

Why did she care about not upsetting Yang?

And why did she feel a twinge of sadness when Yang shook her head at Neo in disappointment?

It was...something to think about.


	7. Chapter 5

Yang lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The early rays of dawn were slanting through her window, but she barely had the energy to throw her arm across her eyes to block the light. Her only arm...

 _You're so useless..._

She felt her stomach churn and rolled over sluggishly, her eyes resting on the closed door of the guest room. Neo would be there soon, and Yang didn't relish being dragged out of bed. Not today. The last week and a half of work had been...bearable. She'd had her bad moments, times when she'd shut down and felt like crawling into bed, but Neo was surprisingly accommodating, knowing to call a break when Yang seemed like she was losing interest. Yang still hated it. She hated that her depression would come out of nowhere and sap all her energy, prevent her from making progress.

 _I hate this..._

She rubbed at her right shoulder, feeling a tingle run up what was left of her right arm. Yang just felt like being left alone in bed.

Except...she also didn't. Part of her wanted to keep going down the path to recovery she had started down. Part of her knew Neo would be along to pull her out of bed anyway. She'd done so the first day, the second day she'd only needed to wake Yang up before she could pull herself out of bed. After that, the most she needed was a little prompting.

Today was worse. Today Yang felt like all the weight of her failures was pushing down on her, preventing her from getting out of bed.

 _I don't want to stay like this..._

Yang planted one hand on the mattress and leveraged herself up. She tried to think about her dad, Zwei, about the project that would go unfinished, about what would happen if she just gave up and stayed in bed.

 _Dad will worry about you..._

She fought back thoughts of Blake and Ruby and her mom. She didn't need to think about that right now. She had work to do. She turned and planted her feet on the ground. Even that seemed like it took too much effort.

She even thought about Neo. Leaving aside that Neo had tried to encourage her, she needed Yang's help. Yang had slowly come to realize that. Neo was alone, too, she had no path forward except some vague quest for revenge. Right now, helping Yang was all she had. Yang may have had misgivings about working with her, about letting her get away with all the terrible things she'd done, but she'd resigned herself to being stuck with the little murderer.

And besides, at the end of this, they might finally have the chance at a rematch. That was a good motivator as well. Finally teaching Neo a lesson, then Adam, then Cinder. The thought of finally punching Adam with a mechanical fist was enough to stoke a small fire in Yang's chest.

 _Come on, Yang. There are things that need doing._

She got shakily to her feet and looked around her room, feeling a little proud that she'd gotten out of bed on her own for...probably the first time in months.

 _You're not completely useless after all, I guess._

Neo opened the door and stuck her head inside the guest bedroom. She smiled and typed on her Scroll.

[Good, you're up. Come on, your dad's making breakfast.]

/

Yang tried to sit still, but she couldn't help but shift uncomfortably as Neo slipped the harness onto the stump of her left arm.

For the past week or so, she'd gotten strangely used to Neo. She'd realized, all too slowly, that Neo really didn't hold any grudge against her. She really was trying to help Yang...to serve her own interests, of course, but the fact that she was doing it earnestly was strange to her.

Maybe she'd misjudged Neo.

She still flinched as Neo tightened the buckles that attached the upper part of the harness to her stump. The metal cap was anchored by a belt that wrapped around her bicep, connected by a series of straps. The metal cap's outer covering had a screw thread wrapping around it, as well as a series of metal clasps, all of which would serve to attach the metal arm firmly to her own.

Neo stepped away and inspected the harness, and Yang glanced down at it as well.

"It feels secure," she said hesitantly, then reached up and tugged on it.

"Straps are secure, too," she said. She looked at Neo.

"It's...huh."

It felt strange, snugly covering the lump of scar tissue that had been left by Adam's sword. She moved her stump up and down, feeling her muscles shift underneath the straps. It didn't seem ready to slip off suddenly.

Neo stepped forward and grabbed the cap. She tugged on it, raising Yang's arm as she did, while bracing herself against the workbench with one foot.

"Hey!" Yang shouted indignantly as she was suddenly pulled off-balance. Neo let go of the harness and shrugged.

"Just warn me next time, okay?" Yang asked. Aside from being a bit of a surprise, the strain had sent a dull pain up Yang's arm. She resolved to be wary of that next time. Neo rolled her eyes and checked the straps again. She tightened one and nodded at Yang.

Yang took a deep breath.

"Okay, so the harness is...pretty much done. We just have to put more screw threading and the anchors for the clasps on the arm. What then?"

Neo pulled out her Scroll and consulted the schematics. She typed out a message and showed it to Yang.

[The Dust canister. We have to make room for it and hook it up to the existing components.]

Yang spun around to look at the arm on the workbench.

"Right, because the Knights ran on Dust anyway. Hmmm...if we're putting the Dust canister in just above the elbow..."

She reached for a screwdriver and started to unscrew the paneling that covered the upper part of the robot arm. Neo leaned over her shoulder, casually brushing a lock of pink hair back behind her ear. Yang turned to look at her.

"Do you mind?"

Neo frowned and stepped back while Yang inspected the cybernetics. Among the books Neo had retrieved was one on Atlesian cybernetics, but with the CCT down there was so much missing information. The book sat nearby, open to a chapter on power routing.

Yang scoffed as she inspected the interior workings of the arm.

"It's just like I thought. The power coupling was in the shoulder."

At Neo's raised eyebrow, Yang pulled the cybernetics book towards her and flipped through it.

"Remember, we talked about it a few days ago. I said we might need a new one."

Recognition dawned on Neo's face, and she turned to rifle through the box she'd brought along when she'd arrived that morning. She produced a power coupling, still sealed in its plastic, exactly the type Yang had mentioned.

Yang took the coupling and inspected it.

"I...how did you get this?" she asked hesitantly. Neo smiled and reached into her coat pocket, then produced a receipt. Yang looked at it in disbelief.

"Huh...good job, I guess," Yang said. While she wasn't exactly leaping to congratulate Neo for not breaking the law, it was rather surprising how quick she was to follow Yang's requests.

And while Neo shrugged dismissively, the smirk on her face showed that she still derived a hint of pride from Yang's faint praise.

 _I guess she's not completely gone after all..._

Quickly changing the subject, Yang glanced at the far end of the table where the tiny soldering iron and a pair of needlenose pliers sat amidst the wires and adapters Neo would be using to fix the interior working of arm.

"You sure you can handle this?"

Neo nodded once, affirmatively.

"Because we can't afford any huge mistakes. This is the only arm we have."

Neo smirked and pulled out her Scroll.

[As long as you're not hovering over my shoulder the whole time, I think I can handle it]

Yang rolled her eyes, but stood up, gesturing for Neo to take a seat at the workbench.

"Alright, then. I'll let you handle it."

Neo's smirk turned into an almost-friendly smile as she sat down and began working.

/

Smoke curled up around Neo's face as she put the finishing touches on the holder for the Dust canister. She set aside the soldering iron and removed her safety goggles. After a quick once-over, she decided she was done.

Neo sat back and admired the progress she and Yang had made so far. The upper arm had been bisected at just the right point so as to fit onto Yang's stump, and the socket had been attached, while the harness sat nearby, almost finished. Yang had been working on that until recently, when she decided to go into the kitchen for a break.

The rest of the upper arm had been altered to hold the Dust canister and shortened power lines. A small Dust burner would turn the Dust into energy, which was then funneled through wires into the rest of the arm.

Second Principle of Dust-Based Prosthetics: With sufficient application of Dust, anything can be manipulated through Aura.

The rest of the arm was unchanged, and aside from the panel that had been removed to allow Neo access to the interior, it was in one piece and ready to go.

 _We should probably put that panel on a hinge for easy access_ , she thought. Neo yawned suddenly, and became aware of how tired she was. She'd been working on the arm for...how long? She checked her Scroll.

 _That late?_

She was a bit proud of the work she'd done for today, so it seemed like she needed a well-deserved rest. She pushed herself away from the workbench and stood up, then packed away the tools and spare parts and made her way to the kitchen.

/

Yang kicked the freezer door shut and moved over to the counter, a carton of ice cream in her hand. She'd stepped out into the kitchen to take a break, rubbing her eyes to reduce the strain of staring at small electronic components all day, when she'd happened to glance at the calendar.

 _A whole week of work. Not bad, I guess._

So, she'd decided a small bit of celebration was in order. Just a bowl of chocolate ice cream before bed. It was a little awkward with one hand, but she managed to scoop ice cream of the carton and into a bowl.

Satisfied with her treat, Yang turned towards the sink, only to find Neo standing silently behind her. Letting out a quick shout of surprise, she dropped the ice cream scoop on the counter with a loud clatter. Neo stepped back as Yang glared at her and picked up the scoop.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

She dropped another scoop of ice cream in the bowl and nodded, satisfied.

"What do you need?" she asked Neo impatiently. Neo showed Yang her Scroll.

[I'm done for the day. I packed up everything and now I'm heading out.]

Yang looked down at her bowl of ice cream.

"Oh. Um...you want some ice cream before you go?"

At Neo's look of confusion, Yang nodded towards the calendar.

"First week back on my feet. I thought I'd, you know...treat myself."

Neo smiled and put away her Scroll, then moved over to the counter. She frowned as she noted how high the cabinet was, and as she strained for the knob Yang couldn't help but stifle a giggle.

"Here, you can have mine, I'll make another one," she said, handing her bowl to Neo. Neo glared at her, but she took the bowl over to the table.

A few moments later, the two girls were sitting at the kitchen table, eating their ice cream in silence. Neo seemed very happy.

"Do you like ice cream a lot?" Yang asked.

Neo gestured at her hair and clothes. She'd abandoned her disguise once Yang had mentioned that her father had gone to bed early, and now Neo's pink, white, and brown theme was apparent.

Yang nodded and scooped up another spoonful of ice cream.

"Point taken," she said, before shoveling the ice cream into her mouth. The two of them sat their silently, enjoying their dessert.

"When was the last time you had ice cream?" Yang asked as she used her spoon to scrape the bottom of her bowl.

Neo typed out a response on her Scroll and held it up for Yang.

[Can't remember. Probably the tournament.]

Yang sighed.

"Yeah, it's been a while for me too. I can't remember the last time I just...enjoyed myself."

Neo shoveled one last spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

[This is nice]

Yang smiled.

"Yeah...I guess it is."


	8. Chapter 6

As Neo slid the harness over Yang's stump, she felt Yang shift uncomfortably beneath her touch. Her gloved fingers deftly tightened the straps on the belt wrapped around Yang's upper arm, and she checked the straps connecting it to the cap.

It looked secure. Neo slid her finger under the straps, tugging at them, tightened a few, then nodded at Yang as soon as she was sure it was properly secure.

Yang reached up and grabbed the metal cap. The rim was padded, but the rest of it was bare metal against skin, the better to channel her Aura. Her fingers grabbed the cap tightly, and she tugged. When neither it nor the straps budged, she grunted.

"Alright, it feels good," she muttered. Neo moved over to the table and picked up the robot arm. Though they had yet to attach a new shotgun gauntlet, it was otherwise fully functional, in theory anyway.

Yang carefully held out the stump of her right arm as Neo slid the socket over the metal cap, feeling the screw threads line up. She turned the arm once, forty-five degrees, until the metal clicked in a satisfying manner, causing the clasps to line up. She quickly flicked them into place, and stepped back.

Yang reached up and flicked a switch just above the elbow. Neo heard a small hum as the Dust burner started up, and saw Yang focus, presumably extending her Aura to the arm.

Then, slowly, the metal fingers began to curl into a fist.

/

Yang felt her heart jump in her chest as the robot arm responded to her commands. Slowly, and with effort, she clenched the robot hand into a fist. She heard the metal creak as she tightened her grip, then slowly released it and raised her robot hand, turning it over in front of her face and inspecting it.

"It'll get easier with practice, right?" Yang asked, looking up. To her surprise, Neo looked excited, her eyes wide and an honest smile on her face. She quickly pulled out her Scroll and typed out a response.

[Theoretically, yes]

Yang swallowed and began to touch each finger to her thumb, one at a time. She and Neo had discussed exercises to increase her dexterity before.

[How do you feel?]

Yang blinked and looked at the arm. After all the work, the frustration when she had started working with Neo, the continued conflicting emotions, slowly regaining her confidence...she didn't feel much of anything.

The arm didn't feel real. It felt like another weapon, not a proper replacement for her missing arm. If anything, staring at it, she was reminded of her failure again. She felt a phantom pain run up her arm, and she winced and rubbed at her shoulder. The fingers on the robot hand twitched.

"I feel...a little underwhelmed," she said slowly. Neo's face fell, and Yang raised her robot arm, imagining Ember Celica bolted to the wrist, aiming it.

"Not with the arm," she said, "It works great, it's just...I was expecting to feel something. A sense of accomplishment, or something..."

She trailed off into silence, and continued to make small movements with the arm, picking up and putting down tools, trying to spin them between her fingers. She dropped a wrench and it clattered on the workbench. Yang frowned and looked back at Neo.

[It's your first milestone. From here it's all about learning to use it.]

Yang nodded, imagining all the work they had done. All of that was just to get her arm back. From here on out, her real training had to begin. She'd made some progress, but now it was really up to Neo to teach her how to fight smarter.

And every time she looked at the robot arm, she'd be reminded of what would happen if she tried to go back to her old ways.

Neo straightened up and headed for the door of the garage.

[Let's go show your dad!]

/

Neo stepped into the living room, turning her Scroll over nervously in her hands. Taiyang looked up from his newspaper and smiled.

"Hey, Florence. Do you need something?"

For a split second Neo was staggeringly aware of his skilled Hunter's gaze settling on her. Even with her disguise, she could never force herself to relax her guard around him. She cautiously held up her Scroll.

[We wanted to show you something.]

Taiyang raised an eyebrow, but folded up his newspaper and followed Neo into the kitchen. His face lit up when he saw Yang was standing in front of the kitchen table, her mechanical arm held close to her side. She rubbed at her shoulder with her good hand.

"Hey, dad," Yang said hesitantly. Taiyang approached her, looking carefully at the arm.

"Oh, Yang...does it work?" he asked. Neo studied him carefully. He seemed cautious, but hopeful. Neo had to remind herself that he cared more about Yang than Neo herself did.

Yang raised her mechanical arm and wiggled her hand back and forth.

"Sort of..." she said, grinning. As relief washed over him, Taiyang stepped forward and held out his hand, palm facing upwards.

"High five?" he asked. Yang smiled broadly and, a bit jerkily Neo thought, brought her mechanical hand down to meet her dad's. They both laughed, and her dad pulled her into a hug.

"How does it feel?" he asked tenderly. Yang's smile softened and she pressed herself against him. She raised her metal arm to rub his broad back.

"I don't know. I think it'll help, though," she said softly.

"That's good," Taiyang said, pulling away, "I'm so glad to see you back on your feet after…"

Yang squeezed his arm.

"I know. I'm glad too," she said quietly. Neo thought it almost sounded like an apology, like she regretted not being stronger. Taiyang sounded like he felt the same.

Yang's father looked at Neo, who had been standing forgotten to the side, silently observing. She was a bit saddened - the exchange reminded her of some of the times she and Roman had joked around between jobs, how they had supported each other. She realized just how much she missed him.

"And you too! I can't thank you enough for this," he said to her. Neo gave him a shrug and a small grin as she raised her Scroll.

[Just...helping a friend]

"Well, I don't know what we would have done without you. Get in here!"

He held out his arm, welcoming Neo into the hug. Neo stood there apprehensively, not sure if she wanted to share in an affectionate moment like that. It looked like Yang felt the same way, but Taiyang clapped a hand on Neo's shoulder and pulled her in.

She stiffened for a moment as she felt Taiyang's arm wrap around her. Glancing up, she saw Yang blush and hesitantly put her good arm on Neo's shoulder. Neo, also hesitantly, wrapped one arm around Yang's waist.

Though the hug only lasted half a minute, it seemed to stretch on forever. Initially uncomfortable, Neo soon realized that it was...warm, and comforting. She'd missed affection, physical contact like this. Yang's skin was smooth under her own...

Taiyang pulled away from the two, smiling.

"Sorry, I'm a hugger," he said by way of apology to Neo. He looked at his daughter.

"So, Yang, what's next?."

Yang shrugged and looked down at her arm.

"I think next I learn how to use this thing...and then I start training with it."

Her dad clapped her on the shoulder.

"Well, let me know if there's anything you need. I want to help you, Yang."

"I know. I love you, dad," she replied, wiping away a tear with her good hand.

"I love you too Yang."

Neo sat in a chair as Yang and her father continued to talk about the arm, about her future training...listening, and feeling out of place.

/

Yang picked up a glass of water in her robot hand and carefully sipped from it. The robot arm was steady, the only problem was getting it to move fluidly like she wanted it to. Each action took place individually, without flowing into each other like a normal arm's movement. It was frustrating, and a little unnerving. She wasn't used to parts of her body not responding like she wanted.

 _That's the cost of losing an arm, I guess..._

She sighed in disgust and set down the glass, a little roughly, as water sloshed over the rim and onto the kitchen table. She frowned and reached for a napkin. Across the table, Neo held up her Scroll.

[I think you're getting the hang of it pretty quickly]

Yang gave her a half-smile and cleaned up her mess. The arm still felt unwieldy, and oddly unreal - there was no sensation, no way she could tell what she was touching or feeling except by sight. Even if she learned to accept the robot arm as part of her, to use it like she'd used her real hand, there were some things she could never regain.

She glanced up at Neo. Ever since she'd attached the arm, Neo had seemed excited. At first Yang had just assumed that she was merely excited that Yang had an arm, and her plan for them to team up against Cinder was moving forward. But the more Neo asked questions and gave her words of encouragement, the more Yang became unsure of that.

"Neo, can I ask you a question?"

Neo paused. Every time Yang had opened with that, they'd ended up arguing, about Neo's past or her actions or her sense of morality. Still, Neo gave Yang a cautious nod.

"Do you...care about me?"

For a moment, Neo was completely still and silent, eyes fixed on the table. She was like that for so long Yang wondered if she was okay.

Just before she asked another question, though, Neo typed out a response on her Scroll.

[What do you mean?]

"Well...I know we started this as an...alliance of convenience. And, you know, because we were rivals and I wanted a rematch..."

She waited for Neo to show any reaction, but she seemed to be managing to remain expressionless.

"But lately I've noticed that you've been...really helpful. And you stopped stealing when I asked you. I mean, it's not that I'm not grateful for your help, but it's unexpected. And I kind of have to wonder...why?"

Yang thought privately that Neo seemed to be getting attached to her. It made sense - Neo had relied on Roman for so much and for so long, that once he was gone, she'd feel lost and alone. So she would leap at the opportunity to join someone who would care for her. Yang's only problem was that she wasn't sure if she cared about Neo yet. She still couldn't bring herself to trust Neo completely, and she still thought of her as evil. Maybe not pure evil, but devoid of any morals. But she did pity Neo, and she was beginning to wonder if there was some good in her.

She tapped the fingers of her robot hand against the tabletop.

"So I'm asking if, you know...you've started to care about me."

Neo continue to stare at the table, as if deep in thought. Then, after another long silence, she raised her mismatched eyes to look at Yang. Her fingers typed out a short message on her Scroll.

[I think I do]

Yang felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Wh..why?" she swallowed nervously. Neo looked up at her sadly.

[Because I don't have anyone else]

Yang's robot fingers dug into the table. She was worried this might be Neo's answer. She wasn't even sure if she _wanted_ Neo to care about her.

[I don't have anywhere else to go]

"Well..." Yang began hesitantly, "We're working together now. Right?"

[Right]

Yang nodded. If she could accept Neo's presence, and her help, then she could accept that Neo cared about her. But she couldn't begin to forgive Neo for what she had done, not yet anyway. Before she could do that, Neo had to admit her own guilt.

"But you know I can't forgive you yet," she said quietly. Neo tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed.

[What do you mean? After all the help I've been, you still hate me?]

Yang shook her head. She didn't hate Neo, really she pitied her more than anything, and that was why they had to have this conversation.

"Neo, I don't hate you, but...you almost killed me," she said.

Neo glanced down at the table, refusing to make eye contact. She raised her Scroll.

[Almost. You survived.]

"But if you _had_ killed me...I wouldn't be here. You'd be alone," Yang replied, trying to keep her voice calm. Inside, she felt anger as Neo almost brushed aside her attempted murder.

That, Yang thought, was the heart of the problem. Neo was either unable or unwilling to understand that what she had done was hurtful and destructive, and until she did, Yang couldn't forgive her.

Neo opened her mouth, as if to speak, but it quickly snapped shut. Shaking her head, she stood up suddenly.

[I think I should leave]

"Neo…" Yang began as she got to her feet and moved closer to Neo, but the smaller girl rolled her eye.

[Look, you're mad at me, I get it.]

Yang took a deep breath to calm herself. Something told her this was Neo trying to brush away the question, rather than her

"Look...I'm not mad, I just want you to understand what you did.

Neo, think about it. I know at the time we didn't know each other, but...aren't you glad we're helping each other now?" she asked softly.

Neo looked up at her thoughtfully, then after a moment she smiled, a little sadly, Yang thought.

[Of course I'm glad]

Yang let out a sigh of relief.

"Then...just tell me you regret it. Tell me you wish you hadn't tried to kill me," Yang pressed. She wanted to know that somewhere, deep inside, Neo was guilty.

Again, Neo opened her mouth as if to speak, then quickly closed it, swallowing nervously. She typed out her response slowly, carefully.

[I didn't do anything wrong.]

Yang felt her heart sink. She really had hoped that Neo would be willing to admit her guilt, but it appeared Neo was stubborn. There had been too many years of telling herself she was justified for her to easily change her way of thinking.

 _Are you afraid of being wrong? Is that it?_

Yang stepped aside, allowing Neo access to the door from the kitchen out into the yard. Yang leaned against the counter, watching sadly as Neo made her way to the door.

Neo opened the door, and instantly snow was blown inside, catching in Neo's hair and piling up around her ankles. Neo shivered and looked back at Yang for a moment. Her face was expressionless, but for a moment Yang thought she saw profound grief, before Neo mastered herself and turned to leave. Yang watched her sadly, but couldn't help but ask her one final question.

"Neo...you'll come back, right? Tell me you'll come back."

Neo didn't turn back to face Yang, but she nodded, just once, and that was enough for Yang.

But as Neo slammed the door shut behind her, that didn't make Yang feel any better.


	9. Chapter 7

Yang wanted nothing more than to lie in bed all day. Her limbs felt heavy as she sat up and got to her feet, but she did it anyway. She told herself that she'd faced worse setbacks, but really she couldn't stand to see herself waste another day, not after all the progress she'd made. She'd established a routine again, and she was loathe to break it.

Yang considered the robot arm, resting on her bedside table. She shook her head as she walked past it on her way to the shower. She wouldn't be able to put it on by herself even if she wanted to, and right now the last thing she needed was a reminder of her missing arm.

As she showered, paying special attention to her hair, she thought about the conversation she and Neo had the night before. Neo had rejected Yang's attempts to draw out an apology, refusing to acknowledge any wrongdoing on her own part, and she had left, but that wasn't the cause of Yang's depressed mood.

Rather, she was disgusted with herself. Before Neo had left, Yang had asked her to come back. She couldn't stand the thought of yet another person leaving her, and Yang hated that weakness. She would rather the company of her former rival, the remorseless killer, to being left alone.

 _You're pathetic._

Yang dried her hair and dressed herself, then paused to look at herself in the mirror. Her missing arm sent a pang of loss through her, but she still managed to give herself a bitter half-smile.

"At least you're out of bed," she told herself. That made her feel a little better, made her feel good about getting out of bed.

She made her way to the kitchen. Yang didn't want to go to all the trouble of making breakfast, but she had gotten used to eating a full breakfast every morning, and her stomach rumbled at the thought of skipping a meal. She put some bread in the toaster and sat down to think, staring out the window pensively.

She _wanted_ Neo to stay with her. As much as she was loathe to admit it, she was becoming attached to her former rival. Just a few weeks ago she would have been happy to see the back of her, but the night before she had practically begged Neo to come back.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her father, Hunter's gear strapped to his back, with Zwei trotting along at his heels.

"Dad? You going somewhere?" Yang asked. Taiyang smiled and walked over to her.

"Just some Hunter's business. The townsfolk have been seeing weird lights and hearing noises from the old abandoned cabin, and I'm going to check it out. Probably nothing, but you never know," he explained.

He kissed her forehead and made his way to the door that led out into the yard.

"Oh. Be safe!" she called after him. He waved back at her as Zwei ran out past him into the snow.

"I will. Love you!" he replied as he shut the door behind him.

Yang sighed and looked back at the toaster. Her father had probably been so worried about her for the past few months. Yang was just glad that she was back on her feet, so that he didn't have to worry about her.

And that was thanks to Neo. Yang was slowly beginning to accept that even if it was to serve her own goals, Neo had helped Yang a lot, both in getting her the robot arm and in helping her recover from her depression.

Neo had good in her. Yang just needed to bring it out.

/

 _Neo's heart leapt into her throat as Yang grabbed her leg. Her pulse sang as her opponent threw her, and Neo immediately knew she had won. If the blonde had gone for a takedown, that could have been it, but instead Neo was able to recover and sprint forward, leap up onto the blonde, grab her hand, and perform a flawless takedown that slammed her against the roof of the train car. She landed flat on her back, unconscious._

 _Neo took a moment to savor the adrenaline rush and the sight of her opponent, defeated. She lived for this, the feeling of power that came from victory, the knowledge that she was the one with control over life and death..._

 _And now, the finishing blow. Neo walked forward, drawing her misericorde from her parasol and preparing for a swift downward stab into the blonde's heart._

I win.

 _She felt the familiar sensation of metal plunging through flesh and muscle._

/

Neo awoke, gasping for breath. She bolted upright, flinging the ragged blankets away from her and planting her hands flat on the bare mattress to support herself.

Slowly, she calmed down and remembered where she was: in a safehouse on Patch, an abandoned cabin outside of town. Without the blankets wrapped around her, Neo could feel the cold winter air seeping in, finding its way inside even her winter coat.

She shivered and lay back down again, pulling the blankets tightly around her. That helped a little. She rolled over, and felt her parasol in bed next to her, readied just in case someone happened to stumble upon her hiding spot. Next to her, perched atop an empty cardboard box, was Roman's hat, battered and faded, but still recognizable.

Neo felt a pang of loss.

" _I miss you_ ," she whispered aloud. No one was there to hear her voice, though. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and thought about her most recent nightmare.

It was obvious what had caused it, coming as it had on the heels of her argument with Yang the night prior. She'd walked directly home through the snow, her mind too distracted by the heavy snowfall and biting cold to think about it, and when she'd reached the marginal warmth of her safehouse she'd crawled into bed and almost immediately fallen asleep.

And now, with the sun casting rays of morning light through the windows, Neo had time to process everything.

She'd tried to explain herself to Yang. At first she hadn't understood why Yang was so upset - it wasn't like Neo had _actually_ killed her, and she thought the two of them were taking steps to put their rivalry behind them.

It wasn't the first time she'd had that sort of conversation, and every time Neo had insisted on her own innocence, explaining the circumstances that had forced her hand. Eventually, she'd given up on trying to have those conversations entirely, but with Yang she had no choice but to get drawn into them. Ordinarily, Neo would be defensive, but not this time. For the first time, Neo's reaction to someone's accusation had not been one of defensiveness.

She had felt _bad_ about it.

Neo had seen the pain on Yang's face. Neo understood what Yang said, about having no one else if Yang was dead. The question had pierced Neo deeply, and sent a stab of guilt through her. And the dream only served to drive the feeling home. Never before had the thought of killing someone filled her with dread.

But she couldn't apologize. To do so would undermine everything she had told herself for years. Even if she had hurt Yang, it wasn't her fault. But Neo also knew that no matter the explanation, it wouldn't make Yang feel any better. And the more Neo thought about it, the more the guilt ate at her. She thought about Yang, lying on the floor of that train, bleeding out...

Neo rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

" _I'm sorry,"_ she sighed. Two words. They didn't sound so bad, when she said them out loud. They were easy to say. They'd be even easier to type. Maybe, just this once, she could apologize.

Neo bolted upright. Something was moving outside the cabin. She listened carefully, and caught the sound again. Footsteps in the snow.

Getting carefully to her feet, Neo considered her options. There was the chance that the intruder knew she was here, in which case the best bet would be to hide herself and her few possessions - but then they would break the illusion if they entered the room. It was also possible that they were unaware of her presence, in which case the same options applied - but if she only hid herself, then her possessions would lead to suspicion. She wasn't worried about being discovered, considering she could easily make her escape should the intruder prove hostile.

It took her only a few seconds to make her decision.

She began casting her illusion. It would be Florence, her alias for the tournament. She imagined black hair, let down while she slept, green eyes, and warm winter clothing - a far cry from her old, tattered outfit. With the illusion cast, she moved quickly, grabbing her parasol and Roman's hat and throwing them in a duffel bag full of Lien. She put it under the windowsill, ready to grab in case she had to run. Finally, she snatched up her Scroll, ready to use it.

The front door opened with a creak, and she heard heavy boots moving down the hallway, carefully but not stealthily. She also heard another sound - something hard scrabbling on the warped wooden floors. Claws? From a-

 _Dog._

Neo backed up against the wall, the duffel bag within reach, as Zwei came padding into the doorway. He looked at her and barked in what Neo almost thought was a greeting. Half a second later, Taiyang appeared in the doorway, some sort of weapon case slung over his back.

The two regarded each other for a moment, Neo ready to grab the bag and run at the slightest hint of hostility, while Taiyang just looked shocked.

"Florence?" he asked, evidently very surprised to find her here, of all places. Neo swallowed nervously and tried to contain her fear. How had he found her? Did he know? She raised her Scroll shakily.

[Hello Mr. Xiao Long.]

Taiyang looked around Neo's room in disbelief. Neo followed his gaze. Warped wooden walls and floors, a cracked ceiling that probably leaked when it rained, a dirty glass window. A bare mattress strewn with tattered blankets. Cardboard boxes, some empty, others full of spare parts, one half-full of canned food. More empty cans, lying in corners and in yet more boxes. Her dufflebag.

Neo looked back at Taiyang, who seemed shocked at the state Neo was living in. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't so bad. She'd been in worse situations, both before and after she met Roman. At least right now she had a bed and a roof over her head, and hanging around the Xiao Long place meant she could get a full meal every once in a while...

"What is this? Have...have you been living here?"

Neo relaxed slightly. Taiyang clearly hadn't come here looking for her. Why he was here, she didn't know, but she decided to figure that out later.

[Yes.]

"Oh, no...I'm so sorry."

Zwei barked and scampered up to her, jumping up on his hind legs to paw at her knees. She smiled and gave Taiyang a quick glance. When he showed no sign of anger, she sat down on the edge of the mattress. She scratched Zwei behind his ears, and he rolled over onto his back. Taiyang went to one knee.

"How long have you been here?"

Neo thought carefully. He didn't seem suspicious, just genuinely concerned. She decided to go with the truth.

[About two weeks.]

"Does Yang know?"

[Of course not.]

Neo didn't know how Yang would react if she found out. In her experience, a homeless girl elicited sympathy, but not much else. Roman had told her that the world was a hard, cruel place, but she'd learned that herself years prior. He only reinforced that.

"Does _anybody_ know you're here?"

Neo shook her head.

Taiyang looked at her carefully. She wasn't as thin as she had been, but the illusion still hid her slightly emaciated look. However, Taiyang didn't seem to be worried about that.

"You don't have anywhere else to go, do you?" he asked. Neo shook her head again, and Taiyang looked around the room thoughtfully. Neo felt incredibly self-conscious. She knew he pitied her, she'd seen that look plenty of times when she was a child on the streets. She wanted him to leave so she could slink off to another safe house. His questions were starting to unnerve her.

After a moment, Taiyang shook his head.

"This isn't right. I can't leave you here."

 _What?_

He smiled at her, but all she could do was stare back at him in confusion.

"After everything you've done for Yang, there's no way I could let you stay here."

Neo's heart skipped a beat. Surely she misunderstood him. Was he telling her to….leave the safehouse?

"Florence...would you like to stay with Yang and I?"

Neo's jaw dropped. She was so surprised she almost stammered out a _yes._ She caught herself and pushed away the next couple of thoughts that popped into her head.

 _You can't be serious. This is a trick._

She studied his face again, and it slowly dawned on her that he was serious. She...she couldn't believe it! The last person who had been this generous was Roman, and he was the only person in all her years on the streets who'd actually wanted to help her...

[Do you really mean that?]

There had to be some catch, right? She'd fallen for traps like this before, and learned to be cautious through painful trial and error. She didn't like thinking about those times, and when she did she felt a stab of fear.

Then Taiyang stood up and smiled down at her warmly, and those fears receded.

"Of course! I couldn't stand the thought of leaving a friend of Yang's out in the cold like this."

 _This was real!_

She smiled at him hopefully. She had tried to convince herself that her situation wasn't so bad, but this...this was what she really wanted.

[I can really come with you?]

Neo was uncomfortably aware of the tears of joy welling up in her eyes, and the deep surge of gratitude. She'd never expected this from...anyone...

"Of course you can!"

Neo clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob as she shakily typed out a response.

[Thank you! Thank you so much!]

She knew immediately that a text would never be able to communicate her gratitude properly, but maybe one day she would be able to tell him in her own words. She quickly composed herself. Zwei stood up on his hind legs and licked at her face, and she giggled and wiped away her tears.

[Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me.]

Taiyang knelt down next to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I just wish I had known about this sooner. Why didn't you tell anyone where you were staying?"

Neo kept her smile, but she didn't answer him, instead choosing to pet Zwei again.

 _Because I didn't think anyone would care._

When she didn't give him a response, Taiyang shook his head.

"It doesn't matter," he said kindly as he stood up again, "Here, I'll help you with your things."

Neo watched as he began gathering up spare parts and putting them in a cardboard box. She quickly stood up, grabbed her dufflebag, and slung it over her shoulder. Her heart was still pounding, and she couldn't keep a pure, joyful smile from spreading across her face. She was going somewhere safe!

"Are these all for Yang?" Taiyang asked. Neo's smile disappeared, and she looked at the spare parts, then nodded cautiously. Taiyang shook his head again and looked at the half-empty box that held the remainder of her food supply. Neo shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

"You really care about her, don't you?" he asked. Neo smiled faintly.

[Yeah. I do.]

He gave her another smile. It was like Yang's, from the few times she had seen it - warm, and genuine.

"Yang really is lucky to have you."

Taiyang stacked one box on top of another and hefted them both in his muscular arms.

"You don't have a lot of stuff. How about I get this, and you carry that bag?"

Neo held the dufflebag closer to her and nodded.

They spent a few minutes packing, during which Neo felt lightheaded and happy, daring to hope that this really was everything she wanted.

The world was a cold, hard place. Neo knew that from experience. Roman had taught her to look out for herself, and she had...but she also didn't forget that it was Roman who took her in. There were people out there that could care about her. Maybe Yang was one of them. Maybe...maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought.

Taiyang walked out into the snow, three boxes in his arms, while Zwei scampered along at his heels. Neo stopped and gave the safe house one last glance. She would be glad to see the back of it, to be somewhere with warmth and food and...and people she cared about.

"Come on, let's get this stuff back home," Taiyang called behind him. Neo's heart fluttered in her chest.

 _Home._

Neo followed Taiyang off through the snow-covered woods.

A crow circled overhead.


	10. Chapter 8

Yang was restless. She'd grown to used to a routine, used to having something to do with her day. Over the past week, she'd spent most of her time building the robot arm, with Neo's help. Now, with the house to herself, and with nothing to immediately occupy her, she felt herself in danger of getting lost in her thoughts.

Yang supposed her dad had been right, in that respect - it was better to keep herself occupied than to stew in her depression.

She tried to distract herself doing some minor tuneups on the robot arm, but only having one hand made the logistics rather complicated. Still, she was able to do some routine cleaning and maintenance, tightening bolts, greasing hinges and joints, and checking the level on the Dust cartridge.

Despite the work, she wasn't immune to distraction. She found her thoughts, more than once, turning to Neo.

She knew, at a gut level, that Neo could be saved. She just needed something to push her down the path to redemption. Maybe someone else would have decided that after all the horrible things Neo had done, she deserved to die. Yang had thought that herself not too long ago, but since she and Neo had started working together, Yang had come to see Neo as someone scared and alone.

Yang wasn't sure if she would ever be a Hunter. With Beacon destroyed, she wouldn't continue with any formal training. Still, Yang remembered her time in Mountain Glenn. A Hunter's job was to help people, to save them. Neo needed help. She needed understanding and compassion. Maybe, Yang thought, that would be enough to set her down a different path.

But it was more than just Neo's future that Yang focused on. Yang found herself wondering what Neo was really like. The Neo she'd spent time with over the past couple of weeks was pensive, moody, and a little proud. The confident fighter Yang had gone up against on the train was still there - it was where Neo got her pride - but for the most part Neo seemed to be just affected by the Battle of Beacon as Yang was. That was a sobering thought, that there were more people than just Yang and her friends who had suffered because of Cinder.

Once, while cleaning the Dust canister in the arm, she found herself thinking about the way Neo's mismatched eyes switched colors when she was confused. Yang blushed and pushed the thought away.

By noon, Yang found herself in the kitchen, mostly succeeding at making herself a sandwich. She had just finished putting away the ingredients and was about to start eating when she glanced out the window into the front yard.

"What the...?"

Her dad was walking through the ankle-deep snow, Zwei at his heels, several cardboard boxes in his arms. Trailing behind them was Neo, in her usual disguise, a dufflebag clutched to her chest. Shaking her head in confusion, Yang made her way to the front door. She opened it just as her dad stepped on the welcome mat. He paused only to scrape the snow off his boots before entering.

"Thanks, firecracker," he said around the stack of boxes in his hands. Yang saw Neo pause on the doorstep, as if unsure of whether or not she should enter the house.

"Dad? What's this about?" Yang asked.

Taiyang shifted the stack of boxes in his arms so he could see Yang properly.

"Yang, can I talk to you in the kitchen? Florence, have a seat in the living room."

Neo looked at Taiyang in surprise, then gave him a small smile and walked through the front door, closing it behind her. She nodded at Yang and walked into the living room, where Yang saw her sit on the couch, dufflebag held in her lap.

Meanwhile, her father had walked into the kitchen and deposited his stack of boxes on the kitchen table. Yang followed him, making sure to keep her voice even.

"Dad, what's going on?"

Her dad sighed and rested his arm on the topmost box.

"Yang, I think Florence should stay with us for a while."

Yang blinked in surprise, then glanced back towards the doorway that led into the front hall.

 _Why would she need to stay here?_

Then realization struck her.

"Wait, where was she staying before?" she asked, turning back to her dad.

Taiyang shook his head.

"She was staying in the abandoned cabin outside of town. I don't think anybody knew and...well, she didn't have anywhere else to go."

Yang felt a stab of pity. She instantly understood why her father had invited Neo to stay with them. Nobody should have to live like that.

"Hey, of course she can stay here," Yang said. Her dad smiled and gave her a quick hug.

"You've got a good heart, Yang," he said, "You're just like Summer."

He stepped back and grunted as he picked up the boxes again.

"So I was thinking we move you back into your old room and Florence could take the guest bedroom. Is that okay?"

Yang rubbed at her right shoulder.

"Yeah, I don't see why it wouldn't be," she replied. She had only been staying the guest bedroom because she didn't want to disturb Ruby while she recovered, but there was no need to stay there now that Ruby was...gone.

"Great. I'm going to move Florence's things in the guest bedroom and change out the sheets, okay? You make her feel welcome," Taiyang said before walking out into the hall.

"Sure thing, dad," Yang said as she followed him. While he turned left towards the guest bedroom, she walked to through the doorway to the living room across the hall.

She took a deep breath and smiled at Neo as she entered the room. Neo slung the dufflebag off of her shoulder and stood up.

"Hey. So...it looks like you'll be staying here from now on."

Neo's face visibly brightened. She held up her Scroll.

[Really? You don't mind?]

"Of course not. We've got to watch out for each other, right?" Yang asked. Neo gave her a smile and a small nod.

Before Yang could speak Neo had stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Yang's waist, hugging her.

" _Thank you._ "

The voice was quiet, soft and raspy, like metal scraped across a wet stone. Yang felt herself tense up. Did...did Neo just speak to her?

"Neo?" Yang asked. Neo pulled away from the hug, but holding on to Yang's left hand with both of her own. She glanced up at Yang, then quickly and nervously cleared her throat.

" _I...this means...a lot to me Yang,_ " she said haltingly, her voice thick with emotion. It sounded like every word took an effort to say. Yang was just surprised she had finally spoken. She hadn't even been sure if Neo _could_ speak.

"Hey," Yang said soothingly, "I meant what I said. We need to look out for each other."

 _"Right. Because...you're all I have,_ " Neo whispered, a little sadly. Yang smiled.

"I'm glad my dad found you. I can't believe you were out there all alone!"

/

Neo was simultaneously scared and relieved. For a while she had been worried that Yang wouldn't be as generous as her father. She was considering apologizing if Yang didn't want her around, but when Yang came through the door with a warm, honest smile on her face, Neo's heart had fluttered.

Speaking to Yang...it took effort. But after accepting her, Neo had felt like thanking her in her own words. She felt like she could trust Yang enough to give her that. To be treated with such kindness twice in one day was more than she had ever hoped for. She didn't even need to apologize, Yang had accepted her as she was!

But...then Neo remembered her dream, and the conversation they had the night before, and she couldn't help but think about where she would be without Yang.

Neo's eyes went from Yang's to the floor.

" _I'm sorry_ ," Neo said. Despite what she had expected, the words were hard to say. She felt some part of her protest. It wasn't her fault! She was only on that train because of Cinder. Yang survived, didn't she?

But...that didn't change the fact that she hurt Yang. And a much greater part of Neo felt guilty about that. Right now, in the present, she didn't want to hurt Yang. She wanted to help her grow, and heal, the same way Yang was helping her. Apologizing was Neo's first step in letting Yang know that.

"What?" Yang asked.

" _I'm...I'm sorry I almost killed you. I'm glad we're...helping each other now,_ " Neo whispered shakily. The words didn't come easy, but she meant every one of them.

/

As Yang stared at Neo, she felt her heartbeat quicken. That, really, was all she wanted to hear from Neo. She wanted to know that Neo was capable of regret, and that she could express it. Any remaining hesitation melted away.

In that moment, Yang knew that not only could Neo be saved, but that Yang was capable of helping her.

Yang smiled down at her.

"Neo, I forgive you."

Neo looked up at her, her eyes changing colors in the way that made Yang's heart skip a beat.

" _You do?_ " she asked, as if she didn't quite believe it. Yang wasn't quite sure if she did either...but Neo had done so much for her, and she did seem to truly regret it, so Yang couldn't bring herself to hold it against her.

"Yeah..I think I do."

Neo smiled at her again, a genuine, honest grin.

"Could you talk the whole time?" Yang asked. Neo looked out of the corner of her eye and smirked.

"Y _eah..."_

"What changed?"

Neo stared into Yang's eyes for a moment.

" _I trust you now_."

Yang blinked, and realized that Neo was still holding her hand. She cleared her throat and stepped back, and Neo folded her arms and smiled nervously.

"So..." Yang began, "Is this how it's going to be now?"

Neo gave her a short, hesitant nod.

" _Y-yeah,_ " she whispered, " _It's like you said. We've got to watch out for each other._ "

"Right," Yang said, with a hint of sadness.

 _Because we don't have anybody else._

She cleared her throat again and jerked her head towards the kitchen.

"So, I was just going to have lunch, then get back to working on the arm. Care to join me?"

Neo smiled and nodded her head.

" _I'd love to._ "

/

"I think it's ready," Yang said in awe. Neo put away the soldering iron and looked out the window of the garage. Outside, it was pitch black, the moon obscured by clouds, so Neo knew that she and Yang had worked long into the night.

She shut the tool cabinet and looked back to the workbench, where the mechanical arm was lying, surrounded by tools and spare parts.

It looked...rough. The base was clearly an Atlesian Knight's arm, repurposed and with heavy modifications - a socket crudely welded to one end, a hatch just above the elbow, and now a shotgun gauntlet essentially bolted to the wrist. But for three weeks of work, it was great, and Yang seemed excited, more excited than Neo had seen her since they started working together.

The gauntlet hadn't been that hard to build. All the key components - the transforming parts, firing mechanism, and ammunition loader - had a few spare parts lying around, so all that needed to be made from scratch was the gauntlets themselves.

" _Do you want to try it on_?" Neo whispered. Despite finally allowing herself to talk to Yang, she still couldn't push her voice beyond a whisper, and even then a sometimes halting one. But a few days of living in the Xiao Long House had done wonders for her, as far as food and warmth went. She would never have to worry about being woken up by her own growling stomach, and for that she was truly grateful.

"Nah, I'm kind of tired," Yang said, followed by a yawn.

Yang rubbed at her eyes.

"Ugh, what time is it?"

Neo showed Yang her Scroll, and the blonde shook her head.

"Wow, we were up pretty late. I'm just going to bed, do you mind cleaning up?" she asked, standing up. Neo smiled.

" _Not at all,_ " she said. Yang waved back at her as she left the garage, and Neo turned to look at the arm. She went over the list she had made in her head, making sure all the steps were complete.

No...something was missing. And Neo knew just what it was.

Neo walked over to a box of supplies she had bought with part of her remaining Lien the day before. She smiled as she pulled out a small paint sprayer, a disposable respirator, and two cans of paint, one black, one yellow.

Bare metal wouldn't do. With the arm completed, Yang's training was due to begin first thing the next day. There was still a lot of progress to be made.

And Neo felt like painting the arm in Yang's colors would be a fine piece of encouragement.

/

End of Act I


	11. Interlude 1

Taiyang sat down heavily on the fallen log and stared off through the woods in the direction of the house. A flutter of wings from behind him announced the arrival of the person he had come here to meet.

"I know that's you, Qrow," he called back over his shoulder. The fluttering of wings turned into the crunch of snow beneath heavy boots as Qrow took on his human form and walked forwards, swinging his legs over the fallen log and taking a seat beside Taiyang, propping Ozpin's cane up against the log as he did so.

"Hey, Tai," he said, pulling out his flask and taking a swig. He offered it to Taiyang, who shook his head. Qrow shrugged and stowed his flask in the pocket of his coast.

"How's Ruby?" Taiyang asked. Qrow smiled.

"She's fine. She and her friends are trying to find a boat to Haven. They were all in one piece last I checked, don't worry. They can take care of themselves."

Taiyang visibly relaxed, though he still wore a pained expression on his face.

"That's...that's good. I wish she wasn't in harm's way, though."

Qrow nodded.

"So do I. But you know we couldn't keep her at home for long."

Taiyang smiled sadly.

"She's too much like her mother."

"Yeah, she is," Qrow said, staring off into the distance.

He blinked and glanced over at Taiyang.

"And how's Yang?"

Taiyang smiled.

"She's...a whole lot better. She's back on her feet, at least."

"She's strong. I knew she'd make it."

Taiyang's only response was a grunt of agreement. Qrow pulled out his flask and took another swig.

"And the other girl?"

Taiyang frowned.

"She's, uh...she's staying with us now."

Qrow smirked and tucked his flask away.

"So I noticed. Didn't want to leave her out in the cold?"

Taiyang glared at Qrow.

"I don't think she's a threat. And Yang trusts her."

Qrow smiled and punched Taiyang's shoulder playfully.

"Yang's got a good heart, like her dad."

Taiyang's expression softened, and he let out a good-natured chuckle.

"She does have a good heart."

His expression quickly sobered.

"I still don't like this idea of yours."

Qrow sighed and put his hand on top of Ozpin's cane.

"Tai, you know that once Yang's on her feet she's going after her friends and her sister. We can't stop her."

Taiyang sighed heavily.

"I...I guess," he said hesitantly. He rubbed at the back of his neck.

"I just...feel so helpless to protect them. I wasn't there for the battle, and Yang _lost her arm_ , Qrow. I can't protect my own kids, Qrow…"

He let out a long, shuddering breath, and when he spoke again his voice was hoarse with emotion.

"I've never _been there_ for them Qrow-"

"Hey," Qrow cut in sternly, "You did your best. You really did, Taiyang."

Taiyang swallowed and looked up at Qrow.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do," he said, looking at his former teammate, "This wasn't supposed to happen, Qrow."

"I know, Tai. None of this was. But they chose the life of a Hunter."

"They didn't know what they were getting into!" Tai said angrily.

"Neither did we," Qrow said with a touch of bitterness.

Taiyang composed himself and sat up straight.

"What am I supposed to _do_ , Qrow? I can't just sit here and let Yang leave!"

"All you can make sure she's _ready_. It's better if she doesn't go it alone. She'll be a lot safer if she's with someone skilled, who knows what the enemy's been planning."

For a moment, Taiyang stared at Qrow curiously.

"You really do sound more like Ozpin," he said, shaking his head.

"Is that a good thing?" Qrow asked, raising an eyebrow. Taiyang gave him a crooked grin.

"Too soon to tell."

Qrow chuckled and reached for his flask, then paused.

"I really do wish it didn't have to be like this."

Taiyang nodded glumly.

"But I'm right, aren't I?" Qrow asked. Taiyang sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah. You're right. Yang's going to leave and I can't stop her," he said, voice heavy with defeat.

Qrow frowned, then stared at the ground, deep in thought..

"How is the girl?" he asked after a moment.

Taiyang bit his lip thoughtfully.

"I think she really has turned over a new leaf. Yang's a good influence on her."

"Well, I didn't think you'd let her stay at the house unless you thought otherwise. She still wearing her disguise?"

Taiyang chuckled.

"Yeah. Fooled me at first, until you tipped me off."

"Aren't you glad I talked you into letting her stay?"

Taiyang was silent for a moment.

"I guess so. For Yang's health, if nothing else."

"What do you think of her?"

Taiyang shrugged his shoulders again.

"She's polite. Shy. She lets her guard down around Yang, though. I think they're growing close."

Qrow cleared his throat.

"You know, Tai, if you really want to help, I know a few missions that I wouldn't trust the kids with. But maybe a skilled Hunter..."

Taiyang raised his head.

"Yeah? Would I be going alone?"

Qrow shook his head.

"Nah, I'd be going with you."

Taiyang smiled.

"Like old times?"

Qrow grinned.

"Sure."

Taiyang pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"And I'd be helping the girls?" 

Qrow nodded firmly.

"They'll need someone watching their backs behind the scenes."

Taiyang nodded firmly.

"Alright. I think I can do that."

The two sat in silence again, absorbed with their thoughts. Finally, Taiyang spoke.

"I just want my girls to be safe, Qrow."

Qrow put a comforting hand on Taiyang's shoulder.

"So do I."


	12. Chapter 9

Having perfected our disguise, we spend our lives searching for someone we don't fool.

Robert Brault

Yang was rudely awoken by a rush of cold air as her blankets were suddenly yanked away from her. She rolled over, curling up into a ball and covering her eyes with her good arm. Still half-awake, she grumbled out something to the tune of "Why?"

" _Wake up, sunshine, we've got a big day_."

Yang reluctantly uncovered her eyes and looked up at Neo. The girl tossed Yang's covers towards the foot of the bed and smiled down at her. Yang frowned and looked at her alarm clock, then at the window. There was no sun streaming through the blinds - indeed, it looked like it was before dawn.

"Don't tell me it's before sunup?"

Neo let out a soft giggle and shoved her Scroll in Yang's face.

[It is! From now on, you're getting up early.]

Yang sighed and groggily considered going back to sleep, but figured that Neo wouldn't let her. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Ugh, you win. Let's get started. Can you help me with the arm?"

Even as she said it, she felt a twinge of disgust. Despite everything it meant for her recovery, she couldn't help but feel some resentment. The arm was a constant reminder of her failure, her _weakness_.

 _It doesn't even work right_ , she thought bitterly. All that work, and its movements would still be jerky and slow for the time being.

Still, Neo's eyes glinted as she turned and picked up the mechanical arm from its resting place on Yang's bookshelf. Yang's eyes grew wide as she saw the changes Neo had made to it since the previous night.

"Neo, did you do that?"

The entire arm had been painted yellow, with black lines running down its length, and various other highlights like the knuckles and joints painted black as well. Neo wore a smirk, but glanced away in what Yang thought was embarrassment.

Yang looked from the arm to Neo. It was still the same arm, the same clunky, improvised prosthetic that she had to wear because she had made the worst mistake of her life…but Neo had helped her build it to try and get her back on her feet. She'd even gone the extra mile to paint it in Yang's colors, to try and make her happy.

And she had to admit, it looked kind of cool.

"Thank you, Neo, it looks great," she said.

Yang put on a smile and offered the stump of her right arm so that Neo could slide the harness onto it.

Neo fastened it on quickly and competently. Yang quickly flipped the switch above the elbow, and the arm hummed to life. She clenched her hand into a fist, then unclenched it, then extended her arm, inspecting the paint job.

"How long did this take you?"

Neo shrugged.

" _A few hours. I wasn't up that late,_ " she whispered. Yang still found Neo's voice strange. She wasn't sure what she had expected - a girly, high-pitched voice to match her size, perhaps - but it certainly wasn't her whispery, raspy voice. Yang found it strangely pleasant, like the rustle of satin. And even if she didn't always choose to speak, the fact that she spoke to Yang at all meant she had earned Neo's trust.

Yang looked back at the mechanical arm, tracing her fingers along the black lines.

"Well, I appreciate it," she said, smiling at Neo, "Really."

Neo brightened, then grabbed Yang's good hand and began hauling her out of bed.

" _Good! Now come on, we've got work to do._ "

/

"I mean, it makes sense to me," Yang said as she watched the hashbrowns cook. Neo hummed contemplatively as she flipped through the newspaper.

"It's like..." Yang reached for an egg, "Of course I need to get used to the new hand."

She held the egg over the frying pan and, very carefully, tried to crack it. Instead, she crushed it between the metallic fingers, causing yolk, egg white, and shell fragments to splatter down into the pan, while also coating her fingers. She sighed in disgust and flicked her hand to remove the egg, then picked up a washcloth and began cleaning the hand.

"Why does it have to be something as frustrating as cooking?"

Neo looked up and smirked.

" _You're going to need a lot of energy. You still have a good amount of progress to make, Yang._ "

Yang frowned and flexed her good arm. It was true that over the past two months (now close to three) that she had been in the grips of her depression, she'd gone a bit soft. She felt a stab of self-loathing at the thought.

 _Of course you gave up. That's all you're good for._

Yang quickly pushed the thought away.

Apparently Neo planned on a dedicated training regimen in order to get her back in shape. Yang was ready to do it. She wanted to be strong again, more than anything. She just hoped she could get there.

The first attempt at making breakfast was...rough. She made a smoothie easily enough, and fried sausage and hashbrowns well enough (though she burned them a little, thanks to some trouble flipping them over with a spatula held on her robot hand), but the eggs were ruined. At least there was no way to ruin the toast. There was a _lot_ of food, though, at Neo's insistence, and Yang agreed - she'd stopped eating a lot after losing her arm, and she was planning to regain that lost weight in muscle.

As she ate, Neo outlined her new routine.

" _You'll wake up before the crack of dawn, then make breakfast. After that, we're going for a walk_."

She coughed delicately and gestured at the door out into the yard. Yang glanced out the window into the barely pre-dawn light and raised an eyebrow.

"In this season? At this hour?"

Neo shrugged.

" _You'll be fine as long as you keep your heartrate up, and it'll build your endurance. Besides, eventually we'll graduate to running_."

Yang sighed, then blinked in surprise.

"We?"

Neo smirked at her.

" _Did you think I was going to sit here while you went running through the snow?"_

Yang shrugged, but before she could answer Neo began speaking again.

" _After your walk - or run - we'll come back here and do physical exercise. Today I want to just gauge how much progress we need to make, but in the future I'm going to start having you do more work,"_ she said, followed by the sort of delicate cough that often followed when she spoke more than a short sentence.

Yang whistled.

"Sounds like you're planning to really push me," she said. It sounded like Neo was planning to start off slow, then ratchet up the workload until Yang was back to her strength level before the Battle of Beacon.

Neo smirked at her, her mismatched eyes glinting.

" _I won't go easy on you._ "

Yang stared at the table for a moment. If she was being honest with herself, that seemed exactly what she needed - someone who wouldn't let her give up on herself, who would keep pushing her, even if her weakness held her back. Yang looked up at Neo and gave her a massive grin.

"I'd be insulted if you did."

/

Yang shoved her good hand deeper in the pocket of her black-and-yellow track suit and stomped through the inch of snow that had fallen overnight. The woods were quiet, all noise muted by the snow that had been falling for months, with the area only lit by the barest predawn light. Beside her, Neo strode across the snow with a spring in her step, occasionally looking over her shoulder to give Yang a smirk. Yang wasn't sure when she had bought a brown tracksuit with pink and white stripes, but it fit her very well, and Yang was convinced Neo wanted to be in front of her for a reason. Yang rolled her eyes and watched her breath curl through the air.

" _How do you feel?_ " Neo asked her. Yang scoffed and kicked at a snowdrift.

"Cold. I think my toes are going numb."

Neo skipped over a fallen tree branch and shrugged.

" _Tell me when you get tired and we'll turn back_ ," she whispered, her words coming out in little puffs of cloud. Yang nodded and followed Neo down the snowy footpath through the woods. In truth, she felt fine - uncomfortably cold, sure, but walking for at least a mile wasn't exhausting or anything. That was a good sign, Yang thought.

"So Neo," she asked, as a way to cut through the stifling winter silence, "Tell me about Roman."

A faint smile appeared on Neo's face.

"He was kind," she said, and Yang was surprised to hear her voice rise above a whisper.

"Really?" Yang asked. Somehow, the man who tried to punch her in a mech suit didn't seem like the caring sort.

"Well...to me he was," Neo said, "He was caring and protective, and he was a good listener. He didn't have a lot of patience with other people, but he always had time for me."

Yang pursed her lips thoughtfully. He would have had to have taken good care of Neo, for her to be so dedicated to him. Roman had had layers to him, she supposed.

"And he was funny! I think you would have gotten along great."

"Well, probably not," Yang said grimly "On account of the times he tried to kill me..."

Neo stopped walking and cast her eyes on the ground solemnly. Yang stopped as well, suddenly wishing she hadn't been so blunt. Roman still meant a lot to Neo, it made sense that it would be a sensitive topic.

"Neo, I'm-"

" _No, it's fine_ ," Neo replied, voice returning to a whisper.

Yang sighed, exhaling another puff of breath, and looked around the bare trees.

"Neo, just because someone does something good, doesn't mean they're a good person."

Neo nodded dully. Yang shuffled her feet and turned, hoping to continue the walk, when Neo spoke again.

" _Do you...think I'm a bad person?_ "

Yang paused, swallowing. The cold air stung her throat and made her mouth dry.

"I think...you've done a lot to help me. Really. But that doesn't change what you did," she said firmly.

Neo didn't answer. For a moment, the two stood in the snow in silence, until Yang felt herself shivering as her heartrate slowed.

"I think we should head back," Yang said, once again breaking the silence.

" _Yeah. Let's go,_ " Neo snapped. She turned on her heel and marched off through the snow.

/

Panting, Yang wiped the sweat from her face and neck with the towel Neo offered her. It was warmer in the garage than it was outside, and even though she had exchanged her track suit for athletic shorts, a sports bra, and a tank top, Yang had still been working out for over an hour. Locks of blonde hair were plastered to her face with sweat, and she hissed in pain as she stretched after her long workout.

 _She did well,_ Neo thought, _Better than I predicted._

She suspected that part of that was Yang's stubbornness, her refusal to give up, pushing her past her limits. She was probably furious with herself, raging against her own perceived weakness.

Neo thought that was good. She needed to reawaken that fire, use it to fuel her as the training grew more intense.

She'd been watching Yang carefully during her workout, using her trained eye to analyze her, focusing on which areas she needed to work on most, inspecting the way her muscles rippled as she pulled herself up on the chinup bar or lifted a set of weights...

Neo blushed suddenly and turned to pick up her scroll.

"So," Yang said between deep drinks from a water bottle, "How did I do?"

Neo scrolled up the list, nodded, and typed out a message on her Scroll.

[I was keeping track. I think I'll use this as a baseline. We'll move up from there, increasing your reps every couple of days.]

She showed Yang her list, and Yang hummed thoughtfully as she glanced over it.

[How do you feel?]

Yang sighed and sat down heavily on the workbench.

"Like every part of me got run over," she groaned.

[Well, it's going to hurt more in a few days]

Neo shrugged and leaned back against the wall. Yang stared at the ground.

"Thanks for that reminder," Yang muttered, shaking her head, "I feel so… _pathetic_ right now." Neo looked at Yang's obviously downcast face and stood up. She walked over to Yang and looked down at her, hands planted on her hips.

[Hey. You are Yang Xiao Long. You literally get stronger the more pain you take, right?]

Yang looked up at Neo and furrowed her brow.

"Yeah, but-"

" _But nothing!"_ Neo hissed, " _It's literally impossible to keep you down. You're going to get up tomorrow and do the same thing, and the day after that, until you're stronger than you ever were before!"_

Neo's throat stang, and she let out a short, hacking cough into her hand. When she looked back at Yang, the blonde seemed uncertain. Neo poked her in the chest with her finger.

" _Remember that!"_

Yang nodded once.

"Right," she said as she rose to her feet, "I will. Thank you, Neo."

She patted Neo on the shoulder with her good hand and made her way to the door. As Neo watched her go, she remembered the conversation they'd had during their morning walk.

" _Yang?_ " she whispered. Yang paused in the doorway and looked back over her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

Neo shuffled her feet.

" _So...what are you planning to do now?_ "

Yang shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"Take a shower, obviously, then I guess I'll lay around and try to ignore the soreness," she said.

Neo titled her head.

" _Want some ice cream? You know, to celebrate your first day of training_?"

Yang grinned.

"Yeah. That sounds great."


	13. Chapter 10

Yang screamed in frustration as she tried to flip a pancake over, only for it to land on the hot stovetop. She let out a creative string of curses and began scraping off the quickly burning pancake with her spatula.

Neo sighed and waited while Yang shuffled around the kitchen, continuing to prepare breakfast while muttering under her breath. Yang was clearly frustrated by the limitations of her new arm, which was more than understandable. If anything, it hurt Neo as well to see Yang struggle so much.

 _If only there was a quicker way than just practicing,_ she thought. Neo shrugged and leaned against the counter as Yang picked up an egg.

"You ever learn to cook?" Yang asked as she held the delicate egg between her metallic fingers.

Neo shook her head.

" _No. Never had the time. I was too busy trying to find food to wonder if it tasted good._ "

Yang blushed.

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

She gently tapped the egg against the rim of the frying pan, cracking it. A triumphant smile crossed her face as she cracked it open.

"Ha! I'm getting better at this!"

She cracked the egg open into the frying pan, then reached for another one.

Neo smiled.

" _Good job!_ "

Yang stopped at four eggs, then scrambled them and let them cook while she turned her attention to the hashbrowns.

"I had to learn to cook. After Summer died, my dad kind of...shut down. I had to take care of Ruby most of the time."

Neo saw Yang's smile flicker as she thought about her runaway sister. She put a sympathetic hand on Yang's arm.

" _You sound like a good sister_."

Yang gave her a bittersweet smile which soon faded.

"Thanks. I just...wish I had been stronger."

Neo didn't have an answer to that. Instead, she was silent, resting her head on her hands as she leaned against the counter, watching Yang cook. After a moment, the blonde asked Neo another question.

"Is that why you like ice cream so much?"

"Hmm?"

"Because you never had the chance to enjoy it. You like sweet things."

Neo blinked.

" _Y-yeah...I guess so._ "

She'd never really thought about it like that. She just...liked having the luxury, even if it was something as small as ice cream.

" _You're smarter than you look._ "

"You think I don't look smart?" Yang asked, a playful smile on her face. Neo scoffed and rolled her eyes.

" _You know what I mean._ "

Yang chuckled and turned off the stove.

"Alright, breakfast is ready. Let's eat."

/

Panting heavily, Yang slowed to a fast walk and wiped at her face. Sweat poured down her forehead and neck, plastering locks of blonde hair to her face.

 _I really should start tying this back when I run_ , she thought, before sucking in another deep breath. The cold dawn air stung her lungs and made her chest tighten, and she could have sworn her sweat was freezing. Her heart pounded, pumping blood through her limbs, but her toes and fingers felt numb even through her wool socks and gloves. Her Aura and her black-and-yellow track suit protected her for the most part, but she still felt extremely uncomfortable.

She didn't even want to think about what would happen if she touched bare skin to the metal of her arm.

 _This is garbage. You are garbage._

She flexed the fingers of her good hand, trying to get blood flowing through them, but her heart was already pounding like a drum. She could hear her pulse thundering in her ears, even over her ragged, heavy breathing.

 _How did you get this out of shape? You used to be able to run a mile like it was nothing._

Neo had stopped jogging when Yang had doubled over gasping for breath. She stood ahead of Yang on the forest trail, hands planted on her hips, a smirk on her face.

It wasn't a mocking smile, rather Yang had come to understand that it meant something like "Is that all you got?"

Yang shot a glare at her and bent over, resting her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. It wasn't that Neo made her angry, it was that she was...a motivator. Yang of course wanted to be strong again for herself first and foremost, but Neo's presence was a constant reminder to Yang that she wasn't the only who wanted to see her make a full recovery.

And, in a way...she didn't want to let Neo down.

Yang looked back over her shoulder. By her guess, she was about half a mile from the house. All she had to do was go back the way she came.

"Come on, Yang. You literally - _haah_ \- get stronger...from pain. You're gonna feel...like a million bucks...after this."

She wasn't really convinced by her own words, but at the very least catching her breath made her feel a little better.

Besides, it was more exercise than she'd done the day before. Every day Yang walked a little further, lifted a little more, felt a little stronger. And every day, Neo pushed her a little more.

"Alright, let's go," Yang gasped.

Neo blinked and gave Yang a smile and nod that said "That's what I thought." She turned and started running back up the trail towards the house.

Yang straightened up, feeling the pull of the muscles in her back and legs, and knew she'd be _really_ sore in a day or two. But she cracked her neck and started running down the trail after Neo, feet crunching in the light layer of snow that had fallen last night.

"One mile! Easy!"

Powering through her exhaustion, she turned around and made her way back to the house. She was looking forward to completing her first run.

/

Neo stepped into the open doorway of Yang's room with hesitation. Seeing Yang lying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she rapped her hand on the doorframe to get her attention. Yang sat up and looked at Neo, and she pulled her fluffy pink bathrobe closer around her.

She had purchased it recently, along with the oversized t-shirt and cotton pajama pants she wore underneath. She enjoyed having clean clothes to sleep in rather than her old tattered outfit - she was thinking about replacing that as well, or getting a new look entirely.

She was also careful to use her illusions to disguise the colors when Taiyang was around. _Neo_ liked soft pink and white clothing, Florence preferred blacks and greens. Part of her wished she didn't have to hide her identity, but she still didn't know how Taiyang would react. Best to lie low until then.

"Need something?" Yang asked. Neo cleared her throat.

" _Mind if...we talk a bit?_ " she asked. Yang shrugged.

"Sure, come on in," she said, propping herself up against the headboard. Neo closed the door behind her and dropped her illusion, then looked around the room. Aside from the bedside table and some bookshelves, there was also a desk and chair and another bed, this one empty and neatly made. It was Ruby's bed, judging from the red pillows.

Neo realized with a start that the need she had once had for revenge against the red-hooded girl had faded. She couldn't imagine herself killing Ruby anymore, though a few months ago she had eagerly entertained the thought. Somehow, the thought even appalled her - it would destroy Yang if she were to lose her sister for good, especially at the hands of someone she trusted.

Neo blinked and realized she had been staring at Ruby's bed. She pulled the chair away from the desk, placed it close to Yang's bed, and sat in it.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Yang asked her. Neo shrugged and pulled out her Scroll.

[Nothing. I wanted to, you know...hang out]

Yang blinked at her, then smiled.

"Okay, sure. Just chat, right?"

Neo smiled and curled up in the chair, drawing her knees up to her chest. She'd been increasingly enjoying spending time with Yang. Not just helping her train, but just listening to her talk, or watching her work. She was trying to find more opportunities to have moments like that, where they could just relax together.

It made Neo a little self-conscious...but it's not like Yang had to know.

[Right. How are you feeling?]

Yang groaned and leaned back against the headboard.

"Tired. I feel tired most days."

Neo felt a faint smile cross her face.

[Is that good?]

"It means I'm getting stronger, so...yes."

[You are getting stronger, I can tell]

Yang sighed and rubbed at her right shoulder.

"Thanks, Neo."

[But how are you doing? Still frustrated with the arm?]

Yang glanced at the mechanical arm's resting place on her shelf. She pursed her lips.

"It's not so much the arm as...well…"

She trailed off, and Neo leaned forwards to put her hand on Yang's shoulder. She felt Yang flinch almost imperceptibly beneath her touch, then after a second, she relaxed.

[You can talk to me, Yang.]

Yang drew her hand across her eyes.

"Thanks, Neo…"

She let out a shuddering breath and looked up again. Neo gave her a gentle smile.

"No matter what I do...I'll always have this... _reminder_ of what I did," she said, reaching up to grip her shoulder, "Of my stupid mistake."

Neo swallowed. Her hand remained on Yang's right shoulder, inches from Yang's hand. She could reach out and take her hand, twine their fingers together to give her some comfort…

Instead, she sat back in her chair, once again drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.

" _You know what I think when I see it?_ " she whispered. Yang looked up at her, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

" _I see a girl who was willing to give everything for someone she cared about._ "

Yang shook her head.

"Not that it helped."

" _I don't think it matters whether you succeeded or not. What matters is that you did it at all,"_ Neo said, her eyes fixed on the ground, " _I was willing to kill for Roman. I did kill for him - a lot. But killing is easy for me. You can kill for someone all you want. But you can only die for them once._ "

She thought she heard a touch of bitterness creeping into her own voice. Would she have been willing to die for Roman? Would he have done the same for her? All Neo knew for certain was that she would never be able to find out.

Neo was fascinated by Yang's selflessness, almost to the point of envy. Neo hadn't met anyone as kind and compassionate as Yang before - in her line of work, such people were nonexistent, and Roman had often thought of them as suckers, to be mocked or exploited. But Yang...after everything she had done for Neo, it was impossible not to admire her warmth, her generosity. Neo wanted that - to be the subject of that selflessness. She wanted…

 _I don't know what I want._

"Neo, do you really mean that?" Yang asked, her voice quiet. Her lavender eyes were fixed on Neo's, glistening with tears.

" _I do,_ " Neo replied.

Yang blinked and smiled at Neo.

"Thank you."

As Yang wiped away a tear, Neo felt a stab of guilt. She'd come here to talk to Yang, to spend time with her, not to dredge up more of her guilt.

Neo shook her head and raised her Scroll.

[Sorry. I brought down the mood. Let's talk about something else.]

Yang opened her mouth to say something, then shrugged and gave Neo a relaxed grin.

"Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

Neo shifted in her chair uncomfortably. She was afraid that Yang would think her request was stupid.

"Come on, you can tell me," Yang said with a gentle laugh.

[Can you tell me stories about Beacon?]

There was a brief moment of silence, during which Neo blushed and prepared to stammer out an explanation, when Yang flashed her a toothy grin.

"Yeah, sure. Want to hear about the best food fight of all time?"

/

Neo lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. For the past few days, she'd been having trouble sleeping, and when she'd finally managed it, her sleep was troubled by nightmares. Mainly it was the same dream, the one where she killed Yang. Every time, she would bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath.

And once she'd calm down, the questions would flood her mind.

 _What's wrong with me? I apologized, right? So why does it still bother me?_

At first she had pushed them away, but after lying awake in bed for a while they always came creeping back. And even when she turned them over in her head, the answers never came.

She truly did regret trying to kill Yang, but still the nightmares persisted. Sometimes she dreamed about the other people she'd killed, though she barely remembered their faces. The first people she had killed...she remembered them. That was when it still bothered her. Before she learned to look out for herself first.

 _But you're not looking out for yourself anymore._

The thought came unbidden, creeping in from the back of her mind. Neo had been alone for a long time, both before and after she met Roman, but somehow she'd never gotten used to being alone with her thoughts.

Neo wanted to stay with Yang. Every bit of compassion, friendliness… _affection_ that Yang had showed her...Neo wanted more of that. But she knew that at the back of her mind, Yang would always think of her as a murderer. How could someone as good-hearted as Yang ever care for a murderer? Once the thought would have made Neo angry and defensive, but now it only made her afraid.

Neo sat up and looked towards the closet, where Roman's hat was hidden. She sighed.

" _At least you cared about me_ ," she whispered. That was true, at least. Roman had helped her, protected her, taught her so much...but then she thought about how he had tried to kill Yang. It hurt to admit it, but she wouldn't have cared then if he had succeeded. Now...she was just glad she didn't have to choose sides.

Maybe Yang was right. Just because Roman had helped, didn't mean he hadn't done...a lot of bad things.

 _Maybe it's the same for you,_ came another creeping thought.

Neo flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The moon had come out and was reflecting off the snow, casting rays of silvery light through her blinds.

 _You hurt more people than just Yang. You just never had the chance to regret it._

It would be a long night.


	14. Chapter 11

Out in front of the house, Neo went through her pre-run stretches. Yang wasn't the only one who needed to stay in shape, and a month or two of near-malnutrition and poor living conditions had taken their toll. Though Neo wasn't in as bad a shape as Yang had been a week ago, she still needed to stay limber and agile.

The eastern sky was changing from indigo to a slightly brighter shade of navy blue, and Neo could see her breath as she exhaled and went into a vertical split. She held her right leg high in the air at a 180-degree angle to the one planted in the snow, then she leaned forward and down, until her torso was pressed against her left leg. She heard the door open as Yang walked out into the snow.

"Oh, I - sorry," she stammered, "I, uh - I didn't know you were still stretching."

Neo blinked in surprise. She could practically hear the blush in Yang's voice, and as she slowly came out of her split, she realized that Yang staring at her didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. Some part of her wondered why that was the case, but that thought vanished once she saw Yang. She had tied her mane of golden hair back in a high ponytail, and her hands were tucked in the pockets of her black-and-yellow tracksuit.

" _You're wearing your hair back?_ " she asked, her breath smoking in the predawn air.

"Yeah, what do you think?" she asked as she reached back to touch her ponytail. Yang had started paying special attention to her hair again, and it showed - the lazy, soft-looking curls, bound together by a thick hair tie, cascaded down past her shoulder blades.

" _You look good,_ " Neo said, before she could think. The words had just come tumbling out, . She found herself blushing as she turned away from Yang to face the wintry woods.

" _Let's get started_ ," she said, before Yang could have time to respond.

/

Yang pumped her arms as she followed Neo down the snowy forest trail, ponytail streaming behind her like a banner. She felt good - her heart was pumping, her lungs swelling with every breath, and aside from the sting of the cold winter air she wasn't feeling herself grow tired or sore. It felt like she was beginning to gain her stamina back again.

Ahead of her, Neo ran as well, occasionally casting quick glances over her shoulder to check on Yang's progress. Her particolored hair, likewise in a ponytail, fluttered behind her as she sprinted over snow and gravel, footsteps light and quiet.

Yang couldn't help but notice that Neo's tracksuit fit her _very well_ , and just as she was surprised at finding herself blushing when she caught Neo stretching, she was now surprised that her eyes were continually drawn to Neo's slender, athletic body. She had noticed on some level that Neo was attractive, she had increasingly found herself with butterflies in her stomach when she saw Neo's eyes switch colors, or when she brushed a lock of soft pink hair behind her ear...or when she showed off just how flexible she was.

Any further thoughts in that vein were banished when Neo suddenly jerked to the left, into the forest. Yang skidded to a halt and watched as Neo quickly vanished behind the bare branches and thickets of the woods.

 _"Keep up_!" came Neo's whispery voice, drifting between the trees. Yang gritted her teeth and followed her.

/

Neo sped through the woods, weaving between tree trunks, leaping over fallen branches and rocks, and slipping around snowdrifts and thickets. Behind her, she could hear Yang grumble as she blundered through those same thickets and snowdrifts. Neo giggled to herself and leaped up on a fallen tree, running along its length and pausing at the end while she waited for Yang to catch up.

Panting, Yang stumbled through the snow and fallen branches and leaned against the log to catch her breath.

"Neo...why are we running...through the woods?"

Neo smirked and hopped down from the log.

" _Isn't this so much more of an exercise than some footpath?_ " she asked. Yang glared at her and straightened up.

"Just...where are we going?"

Neo felt a sly grin spread across her face.

" _Wherever I want. Now, keep up!"_ she whispered in a sing-song voice as she sped off through the woods. Behind her, she could hear Yang sigh and follow her.

Neo saw a flash of grey stone through a grove of saplings and changed direction. Emerging from the trees, she saw a stony ridge before her, a jumbled pile of boulders, some bigger than cars. Throwing a brief glance over her shoulder to make sure Yang was behind her - she was, weaving between the saplings with surprising speed, if little finesse - Neo sprang up onto one of the boulders and began climbing.

"Oh, come on!" came Yang's frustrated shout from below. Neo smiled to herself and continued to climb upwards, springing nimbly from one foothold to another, gloved hands digging into crevices. Occasionally she would stop, perched on some ledge, and check on Yang's progress.

Yang was struggling upwards at a much slower pace, her robot hand whirring as it dug into handholds, her breath growing ragged as she hauled herself from one ledge to another.

" _Come on Yang, you're almost there!_ " Neo called. She turned and jumped straight up, sending her past the top of the ridge to the flat area above it. She stood there, flexing her fingers to get the blood flowing into them, while she waited for Yang to catch up.

Yang finally clambered over the top of the ridge and stood there, catching her breath. Sweat beaded on her forehead and ran down her neck, plastering a few stray locks of hair to the sides of her face.

Yang straightened up, breathing deeply.

" _Can you keep going?_ " Neo asked. Yang nodded and massaged her good arm.

"Yeah, I just need a moment," she panted. She scanned the open area at the top of the ridge, then paused and looked around more intently.

Neo raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

" _What is it?_ "

"I know where we are," Yang murmured, half to herself, then set off through the woods. Curious, Neo followed her. Yang led her through a stand of trees, and as Neo slipped around one of the tree trunks she stepped out into a patch of open ground.

Neo's breath caught in her throat as she saw the vista in front of them. They were standing near the edge of a cliff overlooking a broad valley, with the sun just rising over the eastern hills, and the deep purple was giving way to a bright red. Below, as the rays of the sun crept over the valley floor, fog began to rise, while snowbanks were lit up a pale gold. Having grown up in a grey and dirty city, the landscape before her was like something she had only seen in paintings until now. Neo looked at Yang, prepared to ask why they had stopped here, but she found herself tongue-tied at the sight of the winter sunrise catching Yang's hair. It practically shone as it caught the light and filtered it through her yellow locks. Neo found that her heart had leapt into her throat at the sight.

Then she noticed Yang's face. It was sombre, and she was not looking at the landscape.

Following Yang's gaze, Neo she saw the grave at the cliffside.

/

Yang felt a pang of loss as she saw Summer's grave. She hadn't been out here since...before Beacon.

Yang turned her head as Neo walked up next to her, looking at the grave.

" _Summer Rose? Was she Ruby's mom?_ "

Yang nodded.

"Yeah. But she raised me, too."

 _She was my mom, in all but name_ , Yang thought, with a hint of bitterness.

" _What happened to your mom?_ " Neo asked. Yang let out a resigned breath.

"She left me...I don't know why, just that, shortly after I was born...she left."

Yang closed her eyes and let the now-familiar feeling of shame wash over her.

 _She left, just like everyone else. Just like Ruby, just like Blake..._

Neo stepped closer.

" _Why do you think she left?_ "

Yang clenched her fists. She felt a lump grow in her throat.

"Who knows?" she spat, "Maybe there's...maybe there's something about me that makes people want to leave me."

" _Do you really think that?_ " Neo asked. Yang unclenched her fists, letting her hands hang limply at her sides. She bowed her head.

"Why else would they leave? I'm just dead weight to them."

That was why everyone had left her. Ruby had left because she wouldn't get out of bed, and Blake had left because Yang couldn't protect her...even her mother would rather leave than take care of her.

" _I don't think you're dead weight_ ," Neo said.

Yang scoffed.

"But I am. I could barely get out of bed when you first showed up."

That seemed like ages ago, when it had only been a little over a month. Yang could hardly believe how far she had come...how far she and Neo had come. How much they had put behind them.

" _And I saw potential in you. I could see how strong you would be, once you were moulded again._ "

Neo took another step closer, and slipped her hand into Yang's. For half a second Yang almost wanted to pull away, but when she looked down and saw the gentle smile on Neo's face, saw her mismatched eyes looking up at Yang's...she stayed where she was. Neo's gloved hand held hers gently, but she could feel the warmth in it.

" _I don't think you're dead weight, Yang. And I don't intend to leave you._ "

Yang's breath caught in her throat again. Some part of her worried that it wasn't true, that Neo would leave her like all the rest.

But in that moment, all she could think about was how warm and gentle Neo's smile was, and how the rising sun lit up her face. All she could think about was how much she wanted it to be true.

She was still cautious around Neo. Just because she felt guilty over trying to kill Yang didn't mean she had truly changed her ways. But if this was what Neo was really like, if this sweet, caring girl existed under all that pain...then Yang wanted to bring that out in her more than anything.

Neo blinked, and her eyes changed colors. She let go of Yang's hand and stepped away, holding her hand close to her chest. She didn't shrink away or break eye contact.

"You know," Yang said, breaking the silence, "You've met my mom."

Neo raised an eyebrow.

"She saved me on the train. She said I shouldn't expect the same kindness again," she explained, a touch of bitterness in her voice. What kind of mother considered saving her daughter's life a kindness?

" _I never liked her anyway,"_ Neo said. Yang looked at her, then let out a bitter snort of laughter. She stared out at the horizon.

"I still want to talk to her. To find out why she left."

Neo turned back towards the woods.

" _Maybe you will, some day,_ " she said, " _Now come on, Yang. Let's go home_."

Neo broke into a run and vanished into the woods, and Yang gave Summer's grave one final glance before turning to follow her.


	15. Chapter 12

The front door opened with a bang, and Yang stomped inside to get away from the cold, followed shortly afterwards by Neo. Yang scraped the snow off her running shoes and grabbed the towel she had left hanging from the coat rack before her run.

She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and the back of her neck, grateful for the ponytail that kept her hair up and out of the way. She smiled as she caught her reflection in the mirror that hung in the front hall.

 _I guess it does look good,_ she thought, remembering Neo's comment from the day she'd started wearing it. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but...

Yang shook her head and looked down to meet Neo's gaze.

"Is it just me, or was it less cold than it was a while ago?" she asked.

Neo typed out a response on her Scroll.

[The days are getting longer. It won't be long until winter is behind us.]

Yang nodded and stretched out her good arm. She'd spent most of Autumn in bed, and it looked like she would be spending most of the winter recovering. She didn't know when Neo intended to set out on the trail of Cinder Fall, but early spring seemed as good a time as any.

"So, shower and then workout?" Yang asked.

Neo picked up her water bottle from its spot on the end table as she typed at her Scroll again.

[Shower, yes. But I want to do something else today.]

Yang raised one eyebrow, but shrugged and set down her water bottle as she made her way towards the bathroom.

"Whatever you say, coach," she called back over her shoulder.

/

Neo was flipping through magazines when Yang returned to the living room from her shower. Neo looked up from her position, curled up in an armchair, as the blonde dried her hair and sat on the edge of the couch closest to Neo.

Neo looked at her outfit - simple winter clothing in plain brown, not at all acceptable. The right sleeve of her hoodie hung limply, showing that she was not wearing the makeshift prosthetic.

"Watcha reading?" Yang asked.

Neo showed Yang the cover of her fashion magazine.

"I...huh. Looking for a new outfit?"

[And for you as well.]

Yang frowned and sat back on the couch.

"I don't know, Neo..." she began, but Neo cut her off.

" _Come on!"_

She raised her Scroll and quickly typed away at it.

[You seriously want to wear those all the time?]

She pointed at Yang's dull winter clothes. Yang tugged at the hem of her hoodie, staring down at her outfit.

[They're so drab! Plus, it'll be good for your confidence. How are you supposed to feel good about yourself if all you wear is dull brown?]

Yang sighed and ran her hand through her damp hair.

"I mean...I guess. If you think it'll help."

Yang looked like she was still reluctant. Neo smiled and sat up in her chair, typing on her Scroll. Yang had to feel good about herself, otherwise she couldn't fully recover. She'd made some strides, but Neo could tell her self-esteem still hadn't recovered.

[I do. Now we just need to decide on your outfit.]

She set down her magazine and thought about what she had seen Yang wear in the past.

[Do you still have that number you wore the first time we met?]

Yang blinked and sat up.

"My Hunter outfit?" she asked as a brief nostalgic smile spread across her face, the same one Neo had seen her wear when she told Neo stories, "No, I lost it at Beacon. Unless...I think I have an old backup in my closet."

Neo sprang to her feet and grabbed Yang's hand.

[Great! Let's go get it!]

Yang sighed in mock annoyance as Neo dragged her off the couch and down the hall to her bedroom. Yang released Neo's hand, then opened her closet and began rummaging around inside it.

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?" Yang asked.

[Well, I think after two weeks of exercise we deserve to look good. And it should do wonders for your confidence.]

Yang chuckled.

"Two weeks? Yeah, it'll be good to wear some nice clothes...you really think it'll help, though?"

Neo responded with an emphatic nod.

" _Definitely. Trust me, if you look good, you feel good._ "

Yang turned back to Neo, her Hunter outfit on a coat hanger in her hand. Neo walked forwards and took it from her, inspecting it while Yang returned to the closet to fetch the boots.

Neo swept her eyes over the collared cream top, the black stockings, the purple scarf. Though she hadn't thought so the last time she saw it, Neo had to admit it would look good on Yang.

She frowned and held the right sleeve between her fingers. Since it wouldn't be able to fit over Yang's robot arm, it would probably have to go.

Yang pulled over a chair and sat down, putting the boots down by her feet.

"I do like that outfit. What do you think?"

Neo looked from the outfit to Yang, remembering what she had looked like that night under the freeway. And as she looked at the gaps between the miniskirt and the stockings, and between the cream jacket and the black collar...

 _I definitely wouldn't mind her wearing this more often,_ she thought.

" _It needs some adjustments. This sleeve? Has to go."_

Yang frowned and rubbed at her right shoulder.

"The arm, right. I don't know if..."

She trailed off. Neo set the outfit down on Yang's bed and sat down so that she could look Yang in the eye.

" _Still feel uncomfortable about the arm?_ "

Yang gave her a dull nod.

"I'm...I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable walking around, letting people see it...I don't know..."

Neo put a gentle hand on her right shoulder.

" _Hey, it's fine. What if we...? Hmmm..."_ Neo trailed off as she glanced from Yang's stub back to her outfit.

Yang raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

" _What if we added, say, a half-cape?_ " she explained, tracing the air around Yang's right shoulder, " _It could be attached by a clasp around your neck, and cover just your right side. So it could hide the arm, but wouldn't get in the way during fights_."

Yang brightened somewhat at that.

"I mean...capes are pretty cool."

Neo smiled and straightened up.

" _There we go!"_

She turned and gathered up the Hunter outfit.

" _Now, come on, let's get walking._ "

Yang looked at her in confusion.

"Wait, where are we going?"

Neo giggled at her.

" _Well, I need a new outfit too! And we need to get this tailored. So, we're going into town!"_

Yang seemed to hesitate again. Neo walked over to the bookshelf where Yang's arm was resting and picked it up.

" _Hey, with your sweater on, nobody will notice."_

Yang gave her a shaky grin and unzipped her hoodie, revealing a plain white tank top beneath it. She slid it off her right shoulder, revealing her stub with its lump of scar tissue.

"Okay. Can you help me out?"

Neo slid the harness onto Yang's stub, quick fingers tightening the straps and double-checking them. As Yang fastened the arm on, Neo found her hands lingering on Yang's arm and shoulder, feeling the muscles shift beneath her skin as the arm powered up and Yang flexed...

"Neo? I think I've got it."

Neo blushed and stepped back as Yang slid the metal arm into the sleeve of her hoodie and zipped it up. For a moment Yang sat in her chair, feeling the mechanical arm through the fabric. Had she embarrassed Yang? Or made her feel angry, or uncomfortable? Neo felt like she'd crossed a line, and now she was worried that Yang would call her out on it.

" _We should get going,"_ Neo said to break the silence, as well as forestall any condemnation from Yang. The blonde nodded and stood up, and closed her eyes for a moment, as if mentally preparing herself.

"I guess we should," she said finally.

/

Yang held her good hand to her right shoulder as she walked through the streets of the village of Patch. It was a fair-sized town, home to a few thousand people, and the largest settlement on the island. It was also home to the ferry that took people and goods to and from Vale, the main connection between Patch and the outside world.

Neo practically skipped along next to her, black twintails swaying with every step. In one hand was a bag containing Yang's Hunter outfit.

Yang sighed as she thought about wearing it again. It was true, her tracksuit and workout clothes were functional, if a bit dull...as were the drab brown sweats and hoodie she was wearing now. But whenever she tried to imagine herself wearing that outfit again, standing confidently with Ember Celica at the ready...she just couldn't do it.

Meanwhile, being out in public for the first time since losing her arm was unnerving her. The whole town seemed on edge, people hurrying about their business rather than going about it leisurely as she remembered, casting glances at the billboards and newsstands that had sprung up since the CCT had gone down. For the first time in living memory, the militia was out, grim men and women wearing uniforms and with regulation weapons slung on their backs.

This was not the town she had grown up with.

More than that, people shot her glances. While her sweater and a wool glove covered her robot arm, she couldn't help but feel like their gazes bored right through her clothes to the metal arm and the lump of scar tissue...

Neo glanced up at her and gently touched her mechanical arm, holding up her Scroll.

[Are you okay?]

Yang bit her lip and looked around. One militiaman who had been staring at her turned and said something to his comrade, who shook his head in what Yang thought was dismissal. She felt a surge of shame and turned her back to them.

"I want to go home," she mumbled. She wanted to go home and lie under the covers and forget about the whole world.

Then Neo smiled up at her with bright green eyes.

[Hey, don't worry about them. You're fine, okay?]

Yang swallowed and gave her a shaky grin.

"As long as we get this over quick, yeah."

[Great! You can drop off Hunter for the adjustments, I'll pick out my new look!]

Yang smiled and took the bag from Neo, then watched as she hurried down the street and into a tailor's shop. She gave the people around her one final glance and followed.

The tailor's shop was warm inside. Racks of clothing pressed in close together, giving the place a snug atmosphere. Clothing stores were one of the most common businesses in Vale - when individuality was so highly regarded, and the easiest way to stand out was with clothing, how could it be otherwise?

As Neo made her way between the racks of clothes, Yang walked up to the counter and set the bag down. After explaining to the tailor exactly what adjustments she needed, he nodded and disappeared into the back of the store.

Yang allowed herself a smile as she imagined herself in her Hunter outfit again. Maybe Neo was right, she did need some more striking clothes…

Yang saw Neo moving up one of the aisles. She had just picked out a high-collared pink shirt and was inspecting a dark chocolate-colored peacoat with a long coattail. Maybe it would be nice to see Neo in something new as well...

Yang's thoughts were interrupted by muttered voices from further back in the store.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man and a woman, perhaps middle-aged, speaking to each other in not-particularly quiet voice. Yang swallowed as she realized they were talking about _her_.

"Yes, that's the girl who broke that poor Haven boy's leg."

"I don't know _how_ she can show her face in public! She assaulted him!"

Instantly it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.

Of course. Of course everyone had remembered that incident. The brief moment of deep uncertainty Yang had felt, as well as the fear that Blake wouldn't believe her...that had all been forgotten after the much bigger the events of the Battle of Beacon. Now, it all came flooding back, made worse as she realized that all of Remnant must have thought her a _monster_.

Yang couldn't bear to stand there and listen any further. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she stormed outside, only to find the street filled with what she imagined were more judgemental stares. She ducked into a nearby alleyway and slumped back against a wall, her good hand covering her face as she held back tears.

" _Yang?_ " came a whispered voice, cutting through her halted sobs.

"I...I can't believe this! I can't believe I forgot how much everyone must _hate me!"_ Yang sobbed.

Then she felt Neo's hand on her arm, pulling it gently downwards. Yang blinked away her tears and looked down at Neo's hardened expression.

" _No. Those people don't know what happened. They can't judge you._ "

"Neo, _I_ don't know what happened! I'm still not sure what really caused me to attack Mercury..."

She shook her head and pulled away from Neo's grip.

"Not that it matters," she spat, "Whatever happened, Cinder and her minions got away with it."

Yang felt so many emotions raging inside of her - shame, doubt, anger - anger at herself, at Mercury, at _those people_.

" _It was Emerald_ ," Neo whispered. Yang stopped and turned around, staring straight into Neo's mismatched eyes.

"What?" she asked, her voice flat. Neo closed her eyes and sighed.

" _You wouldn't know, would you? Emerald's Semblance causes hallucinations. She made you think Mercury attacked you so you'd hit him."_

Yang's mouth opened and closed until she finally managed to form words.

"She _what_?"

Emerald had _tricked her_ in front of the entire world, made her look like a monster - and of course Yang had fallen for it. Her first instinct had been to attack, to use lethal force, just as they planned. Yet again, her anger had gotten the best of her.

But that didn't change the new wave of fury welling up inside her.

"I knew she was with Cinder, but this?"

Neo shrugged.

" _Yeah, and she tricked Pyrrha Nikos into killing the robot girl, too."_

" _She did what_?" Yang hissed. Neo's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

" _Wow, you didn't know? Yeah, that was Cinder's idea too."_

Yang leaned against the brick wall of the alley and pressed her mechanical hand against it, digging her fingers into it until the mortar cracked. She took a few deep, slow breaths, but she could feel the edges of her vision going red.

"We're going to make her pay for that...along with all the rest."

Neo moved closer, her eyes switching colors.

" _Yang it's okay. You didn't know-"_

Yang punched the wall, hard enough to send a lance of pain up the stub of her right arm and send chips of shattered brick crumbling to the ground.

"No! I fell for it, Neo! Your team picked me for a reason! Because you _knew_ I would attack as my first instinct!"

All the rage drained out of her suddenly, and she slumped against the wall. She felt a rush of cold air, and she shivered and pulled her hoodie tighter around her.

"I just...is this how I'm always going to be?" she said, a sob creeping into her voice.

Neo was beside her almost instantly, a soft gloved hand slipping into her own.

" _It wasn't my team, Yang. It certainly isn't now. And you_ are _going to change, for the better_."

Yang felt calm wash over her. Neo's soft voice, her gentle touch...it pulled her back. The fact that Neo _had_ been on Cinder's team didn't escape her...but she really did believe that Neo was on her side now.

Yang sighed and straightened up, inspecting her robot hand for damage.

"Okay. Let's...let's just get the outfit and go home, okay?"

Neo smiled and nodded.

" _I'll be in and out before you know it!"_ she said, then turned and made her way back onto the street and up the sidewalk towards the store. Yang followed, then watched her enter the store. She sighed, watching her breath smoke in the winter air, and scanned the street.

People still cast looks her way, and while they still stung somewhat, Yang couldn't forget what Neo had said. Yang still couldn't believe that under all that fear and pain, Neo could be so...loving.

And as Yang's eyes settled on an ice cream shop, she knew exactly how to thank her.

/

Neo smiled as she walked from her bedroom, down the hall, and into the living room. As she stepped through the doorway she saw the breath catch in Yang's throat, and she gave the blonde a smirk.

" _Better, no?_ " she asked. Yang nodded in appreciation. The two had come home as soon as possible so that they could try on their new clothes, and Neo had to admit she was having fun showing off a bit. Yang's eyes moved over Neo's body, and Neo couldn't help a small thrill running through her at the thought.

 _Take a good look, sunshine._

"It looks...wow..." the blonde gasped.

Neo looked down at her knee-high, high-heeled black boots and white pants, and tugged at the collar of the pink shirt that peeked out over her rich brown peacoat. The whole thing had the air of a military uniform, or maybe a nobleman's attire. Neo had chosen it specifically for that reason - it was elegant and refined, like her old outfit, but this one would be more functional. She couldn't help but grin as she turned on her heel.

" _I was thinking of doing something with my hair, though,"_ she said, " _Not a ponytail, but...a braid?_ "

She imagined herself with her hair in a single braid, pink and brown alternating, and she grinned in satisfaction. Yang smiled and paced forwards, and Neo couldn't help but appreciate the way the modified Hunter outfit looked on her. The halfcape Neo had chosen, black with white trim, was hanging on the back of the couch, but as for the rest of it...yes, Neo could especially appreciate the thigh-highs and miniskirt, though she was careful not to let herself stare.

 _Yang's too pretty to be wearing drab brown all the time_ , she thought with a touch of self-consciousness.

"Hmmm. Yeah, it would look nice...maybe I could braid it for you?"

Neo blinked and turned again for Yang, letting her particolored hair trail behind her. She flashed Yang a grin and fluttered her eyelashes.

" _If you think the arm can handle it,"_ she quipped.

"Is that a challenge?" Yang asked, eyebrow raised. Neo's only response was to smirk.

Then she thought about that - sitting between Yang's legs as she ran her fingers through Neo's hair - and cleared her throat.

" _We can do that later, though. How about we have that ice cream and relax?"_

/

"Okay, wait," Yang said with a stifled laugh as Neo ate another spoonful of caramel ice cream, "You like ice cream..."

Neo rolled her eyes. She and Yang were sitting on the couch in their pajamas, bowls of ice cream in their laps. Neo could tell that Yang was stressed and Yang had bought some ice cream in town, so it seemed like a good idea for the two to change into their pajamas, sit back on the couch, and enjoy themselves. It had been nice, relaxing - then Yang had suddenly started laughing out of nowhere. She could barely keep a straight face as she explained what was so funny, but Neo was willing to, quite literally, humor her.

" _Duh,_ " she replied. Hadn't they had this conversation before?

"No, no," Yang continued, "So you like ice cream, your name is Neopolitan..."

" _Yang where are you going with this?_ " Neo asked, followed by a giggle. Yang's sweet laugh could be infectious sometimes.

"And you're really short," Yang said, followed by a snort of laughter. Neo frowned and watched as Yang shovelled a spoonful of caramel ice cream up from her own bowl.

" _Yes, but I don't see what-_ "

"So that makes you _pint-sized!_ "

As Yang fell back against the couch, breathless with laughter, Neo could do nothing more than stare at her - then let out a snort of laughter, then a chuckle, then she had to set her bowl of ice cream in her lap and cover her face with her hands.

" _Okay, yes, brilliant,_ " she gasped through her fingers. Somehow, the pun was funnier than she'd expected. Maybe it was just because Yang had insisted on the buildup, or maybe it was just because Neo was enjoying being around Yang so much. She felt strangely light-headed...

As Yang recovered from her bout of self-inflicted laughter, Neo noticed that she had somehow smeared some ice cream on her face, on her cheek right by the corner of her mouth.

Acting on impulse, Neo leaned forward and wiped it off with her thumb, then stared at a wide-eyed Yang as she realized what she'd done. As both of them struggled to formulate sentences, Neo then realized she still had the ice cream on her thumb. Acting again on her first impulse, she licked it off, the salted caramel flavor hitting her tongue as it swirled across her thumb.

 _I probably shouldn't have been making eye contact_ , she thought as she saw Yang blush and very pointedly look away..

 _Why_ was she acting like this? Why did she feel butterflies in her stomach every time she touched Yang's arm or held her hand? Why did she relish the idea of sitting between Yang's legs as the blonde ran her fingers through Neo's hair? Why the lingering glances whenever she and Yang were working out?

There was no reason for her to have such an interest in Yang unless...she was _interested_ in Yang.

Neo felt her mouth go dry.

She'd never felt romantic attraction for...anyone. She'd simply never thought it was for her. It wasn't exactly easy to form an emotional connection with someone when she was surrounded by thieves and murderers. So, she hadn't bothered.

But Yang...Yang had this _pureness_ that Neo found entrancing. She was selfless, compassionate...she was _good_. She had been so kind to Neo, so welcoming, and aside from being incredibly attractive, Neo had grown to enjoy helping her, watching her grow stronger, watching her heal. She took joy in seeing Yang happy.

When the two of them had stood on that cliff together and Neo had seen the rising sun bathe Yang in golden light, Neo had known she could never leave Yang behind. Yang was everything to her, more than Roman had ever been.

 _Is this what love is like?_ she thought, though whether she was thinking of her own feelings towards Yang or Yang's actions towards her, she wasn't entirely sure.

What would Yang think if she knew? Did she suspect something? Yang wasn't dense, surely she could guess how Neo felt from the way she'd been acting lately. Neo felt a stab of fear as she wondered if Yang would return her feelings..or if Neo's own feelings would push her away. The uncertainty clung to her, eating at her. If Neo's affection drove Yang away...what would happen to the two of them?

Neo remembered all the times Yang had been angry at her. She thought they'd put those arguments behind them, but now she was afraid they were festering beneath the surface...what did Yang really think of her? If Yang still thought Neo was a bad person...

"I...um..."

Neo realized Yang was stammering. She felt herself blush and looked down to realize that her bowl was almost empty.

" _I'm going to wash up,_ " she whispered as she got up, and as she left the living room she could hear Yang's confused voice follow her.

"Y-yeah, okay. Goodnight..."


	16. Chapter 13

Yang kicked the snow from her boots and wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck, while behind her Neo shut the front door and went for her water bottle. Another run was completed, and Yang felt like she needed a shower. A hot one, both to wash the sweat from her skin and to warm herself up after running through the snow.

She felt Neo's mismatched eyes on her, and turned around to face her.

"Mind if I hit the showers, pint-size?"

Neo smiled, then reached up to play with the single heavy braid that hung over her shoulder. Yang smiled faintly as she remembered the quiet evening she had spent braiding it, Neo sitting between her legs and laughing quietly at her jokes.

Neo quickly pulled her Scroll out from the pocket of her new coat and typed away at it.

[Maybe a quick one. We're going back outside afterwards, though.]

Yang raised one eyebrow.

"You sure?"

Neo gave her a single, brief nod.

[The clearing north of here. Why, don't like the cold?]

Yang shuffled her feet self-consciously and reached for her water bottle.

"Yeah. This never used to happen. My Semblance always used to keep me warm no matter what..."

[What do you think happened?]

Yang turned her water bottle over in her hands and opened it, her mechanical hand deftly twisting the cap off.

"I don't know...it just hasn't been the same since Beacon."

Neo hummed thoughtfully to herself while Yang drank deeply from her water bottle. She cleared her throat and replaced the cap, then frowned as she saw Neo studying her.

"What?" she asked.

[Your Semblance activates when you get hurt, right?]

"Or when I'm angry sometimes, yeah."

Neo nodded once and set down her water bottle.

[Take your shower and meet me back here, make sure Ember Celica is loaded.]

/

A cold wind picked at Yang's hair and clothes, tossing strands of loose golden hair around her face and making her purple scarf flutter like a banner. Neo planted the end of her parasol on the ground and leaned on the handle.

" _Today we're going to start sparring,_ " she said, her voice a whisper barely audible above the wind.

Yang set her jaw and gave Neo a stiff nod. It was bound to happen sooner or later, no reason why they couldn't start now. She looked down at her robot hand and clenched it. She'd been learning to use it. It was still _painfully_ unlike her old hand, in lots of different ways - the lost senses, the stiffness, the occasional moment when she misjudged her strength with it - but she could hit things with it. She could definitely do that.

"I'm ready," she said. Neo tilted her head.

" _This will probably hurt,_ " she whispered. Yang bared her teeth in what could generously be called a smile.

"The harder you hit me, the stronger I'll get."

Neo gave her a crooked grin in return, and Yang felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

" _That's what I was counting on._ "

Neo twirled her parasol and began walking in a broad circle, keeping Yang to her right.

" _You're not a bad fighter, Yang. I've seen what you can do. You have one glaring flaw, though._ "

"I let my anger do all my thinking," Yang said bitterly. She knew that well enough - after her fight with Adam, the thought was engraved in her mind.

" _Precisely. You get emotional and lose sight of your goal. In this fight, you only have one goal. Hit me. In return, my objective is to knock you down._ "

She opened her parasol and settled it on her shoulder.

" _Now. Hit me._ "

Yang immediately dropped into a fighting stance. She licked at chapped lips and sized up her opponent, as instantly all of her memories came flooding back. Learning from her dad, sparring with her classmates at Beacon, her fights with Neo and during the tournament...and, of course the encounter with Adam.

She couldn't try a head-on attack, Neo was too smart for that.

Yang fired the left gauntlet of Ember Celica, feeling the familiar recoil push back against her. The round burst from the muzzle in a flash of red and yellow, and just like that her heart was pounding, and she was fighting again.

 _Just like riding a bike, you never forget,_ she thought, _But both are way easier with two arms..._

/

Yang's opening shot came in low, and Neo flipped backwards to avoid it. She landed neatly on her feet and brought up her parasol to block the next shot, and then Yang was rushing forwards, kicking up snow as she aimed a blow with her right hand.

Neo thought for a split second about falling back and leaving an illusion in her place, but she decided for this first sparring match she didn't need to use the full breadth of her abilities.

Instead, she danced backwards, bobbing and weaving just outside of Yang's reach.

Neo found herself avoiding Yang's blows by a hair's breadth more than once. Clearly Neo was also a little out of practice, but even then she was ahead of Yang in skill - though the gap had certainly closed a bit.

 _The opening salvo was good, she tried to catch me off balance,_ she thought, as Yang gritted her teeth and aimed another blow at Neo. Seeing an opening, Neo ducked to the side and kicked Yang in the ribs, knocking her back a step and hopefully giving her a chance to recover.

Instead of taking it, she fired off a round from her right gauntlet, and Neo swung her parasol in a wide arc, deflecting the shot, then closing it and bringing it up in a ready position.

 _That was a mistake,_ she noted with a little disappointment. True, Yang was rusty, but one of the biggest flaws Neo had found in Yang's fighting style was the inability to recognize opportunities.

For example, the opening Yang had just created by extending her arm to fire. Neo darted in close, jabbing with the tip of her parasol at Yang's stomach and chest. Yang moved with her, using her gauntlets to block or deflect the blows, but Neo was quicker, and for every two hits Yang blocked another one connected.

 _Not bad, she's certainly more composed than she was on the train._

Neo gave Yang a smirk and studied her face. She'd landed more than a few solid hits on Yang, but for some reason Yang's punches didn't _feel_ any stronger, nor could Neo see the red rising behind Yang's eyes.

Yang let out a scream of frustration as she prepared to fire a blow directly at Neo's center of mass, but Neo batted her fist aside, and the round went off over Neo's left shoulder. Yang let the recoil push her back, and she pivoted on her right foot, spinning around and aiming a kick at Neo with her left.

 _Now that was impressive,_ Neo thought as she blocked the kick with her parasol. The blow was jarring, but she was able to recover quicker than Yang, hooking the handle of her parasol around Yang's right ankle and executing a backwards flip that planted her boot on Yang's throat while pulling her off her feet.

/

For a moment, the world spun around her, then Yang's vision cleared and she found herself staring up at the sky. Clouds the color of gray unpolished steel obscured the sun, but there were large gaps where she could still see the azure blue sky.

Yang groaned as she felt a dull pain spread through her back and shoulders - she had definitely landed hard. The snow crunched beneath her as she shifted, feeling the pain subside.

Her view was soon obscured as Neo leaned over her, the girl's mismatched eyes staring into Yang's own.

" _And that's all for today,_ " she said in a sing-song tone. Yang threw her good arm over her face and let all of her frustration rush out of her, now replaced by shame. She must have let out a heavy sigh, because Neo knelt down next to her and nudged her shoulder.

" _Hey, don't be upset. That was pretty good for your first time,_ " she said lightly.

Yang removed her hand and sat up, brushing the snow from her shoulders and hair.

"It _wasn't_ my first time," she snarled. She glared at Neo, who stared at the ground with downcast eyes.

" _I didn't mean to be patronizing,_ " she said apologetically, " _But it was your first time, with the arm at least._ "

"Yeah, but...it was over so quick..." Yang sighed.

" _I've been in shorter fights,"_ Neo replied with a shrug, " _Where do you think you went wrong?_ "

Yang scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I didn't think, _as always,_ " she spat. Neo shook her head.

" _See, I noticed some improvement."_

Neo stood up and offered Yang her hand. As she helped Yang to her feet, Neo explained.

" _Your opening move was to try and soften me up, get me off-balance. Before, you nearly always rushed in as a first instinct. Second, you pulled some fancy footwork. Like in your fight against Mercury. Far better than our first time."_

Yang gave her a hesitant nod as Neo stepped back and prodded her with the tip of her parasol.

" _Your problem is your guard. I_ know _you can block and deflect blows, but you overcommit, and it leaves you open._ "

She stared closely at Yang.

" _How are you feeling?_ "

Yang sighed and ran a hand back through her hair.

"Um...kind of dumb, honestly. And frustrated at how rusty I am and..."

She shook her head and frowned.

" _You're not dumb,_ " Neo insisted, " _Just unrefined."_

She tossed her braid back over her shoulder and turned towards the house.

" _You shouldn't expect to be an expert the first time, sunshine,"_ she called back over her shoulder as she set off for home. Yang followed her, rubbing at her right shoulder and trying to fight her frustration over losing so easily.

 _You're so...useless. Sloppy. Maybe you would have been better if you hadn't stayed in bed for two months_ , she thought bitterly. She shook her heads again to dislodge her thoughts.

"Hey, Neo," she asked, to try and distract herself, "How do you feel?"

Neo turned to look back at Yang over her shoulder, eyes glinting.

" _I'm excited for when we have a real rematch._ "

Yang shivered and pulled her jacket closer around her. It was hard to forget that Neo was still a trained killer, one who had nearly succeeded in killing Yang before.

Still, who better to train her than someone who knew all her weaknesses?

/

Four sparring matches later in as many days, and Neo was still running rings around her. Literally.

Yang planted her feet and raised her arms, going into a defensive stance.

 _Tighten your guard, Yang,_ she thought as she watched Neo move in a wide arc.

She had to admit, Neo was impressively quick and agile. Despite being so small, her limbs were slender and strong, and every move she made seemed so... _effortless_.

Yang bounced from one foot to the other, and Neo brought up her parasol, ready to respond.

 _She's literally running rings around you, Yang, focus! If you try and move in close, she'll just start dodging, it'll be like she's not even there - wait!_

Yang fired off a blast from Ember Celica and spun around, but it was too late. Neo shattered into shards of glass as the bullet smashed into the illusion, and Yang turned just in time to see a blur of pink, brown, and white appear in front of her. Neo's heavy boot connected with the center of Yang's chest, and all the air rushed out of her lungs. Before she could recover, Neo had landed, jumped again, and slammed her boot into the side of Yang's head. She saw a flash of light, then she was on the ground, dazed.

Neo shook her head and paced in a broad circle around Yang.

" _That was good, but you were a touch too slow. And your stance when you turned - left you wide open. But you caught on quick enough, that's good._ "

Yang didn't listen, instead she screamed and slammed her robot hand into the ground. She hated it, she hated herself, she hated everything, and she was sick of being weak...

"It's no use," she spat, "I'm not going to get any better. I think...I think I'm just too broken."

She felt the anger drain out of her, replaced only by cold grief.

" _Is that it, then? You're going to give up?_ "

Neo walked closer, towering over Yang.

"Maybe I should," Yang muttered. She stared at Neo's black riding boots.

Neo kicked out suddenly, slamming the toe of her boot into Yang's stomach. Yang barely had time to block it; she barely tried to do so anyway, and the blow knocked the breath out of her, drove a stabbing pain into her core through her Aura, and flipped her over onto her back. Neo looked down at her, a twisted scowl on her face.

"What the hell was that?" Yang growled, clutching her stomach and propping herself up on one elbow.

" _You're telling me you want to give up? You want to give up on yourself the same way everyone else gave up on you?"_

Yang felt anger, true anger, rising up inside her. The edges of her vision turned red.

" _You want to be like them? Like your mother? Like Ruby? Like Bl-"_

" _Don't._ Don't say her name," Yang said as she got to her feet, her voice cold and hard. She stood in front of Neo, fists clenched, eyes blazing red. Neo smirked.

" _Getting angry?"_

Yang felt her teeth grind together as she stepped forward, wishing so badly that she could punch that stupid smirk off of Neo's face.

"What do you think?"

Neo tilted her head.

" _Who are you angry at, sunshine?"_

"I'm angry at _you,_ you little shit! I'm angry because you don't _get it_! I'm. Useless. You wanted this! You wanted to team up, but you didn't know how _weak_ I was. I'm not talking about my skills, I'm...I'm talking about me."

Yang stomped in a circle, waving her arm - her robot one - at Neo, not even caring to look at her, simply wanting to release all of her anger. As she ranted, though, she just felt worse, she felt the weight of her depression coming down on her, she felt all that self-loathing creeping back. The winter afternoon suddenly felt very cold.

"Why? Why me? Why don't you get it?" she asked dully as she stared at the dead treeline, feeling tears well up in the corners of her eyes.

/

Neo wanted to scream.

 _This isn't her. This isn't Yang!_

Yang wasn't broken, she just thought she was. Neo had tried so hard to reawaken Yang's inner fire. That was Yang - the glowing, fiery young woman, full of strength and will. But nothing was _working_!

Neo stepped forward and shoved Yang, sending her stumbling back a few feet. The blonde didn't even try to resist, she merely fixed Neo with that same cold stare. When Neo saw the tears in Yang's eyes she felt a stab of helplessness.

 _Where is your warmth? Where!?_

"No, _you_ don't get it, Yang," Neo snapped, raising her voice in a harsh bark. Her throat stung, but she stared up at Yang, her teeth bared in a snarl, " _It's you! You're angry at yourself, and it's holding you back!_ "

Yang blinked at her, then gave her a confused frown.

"I've been trying my best, I don't-"

" _No!"_ Neo shouted again, " _I mean all that anger is directed in! That's why your Semblance hasn't been working like it used to! That's why you can't fight me!"_

Realization dawned suddenly on Yang's face.

"That's...I..."

Neo pressed on.

" _You're angry. Stay angry. But be angry at the people who hurt you! Be angry at me if you have to! But whatever you do, stop directing it at yourself."_

Yang paused, deep in thought. Neo let out a ragged cough and turned to face the house. She'd rather go inside to the warmth than continue this argument out in the cold. Behind her, Yang finally spoke.

"Neo, I don't want to be angry at you."

There was something in her voice, something about the inflection, that made Neo wonder about the unspoken meaning.

 _But you are anyway, aren't you?_

Neo sighed heavily and walked back towards the house. She heard the crunch of Yang's boots in the snow behind her, and felt a bizarre twinge of awkwardness.

 _You live in the same house, silly._

She tried to ignore Yang's presence just behind her, though she could swear Yang's eyes were fixed on the back of her head. Instead, she looked around at the dead trees, their branches clacking against each other with every gust of wind. A raven cawed at her and fluttered off, but otherwise the forest was dead and cold.

Neo coughed again and watched a puff of breath vanish in the wind. She turned the sparring match, and the conversation over in her head, wondering how she could get through to Yang.

It was so frustrating! She felt like she was staring at a puzzle, unable to find the one piece that would fit just right. Neo was worried that there was nothing she could do but keep encouraging Yang, until maybe she would stop blaming herself for her failures. And while Neo was more than willing to do that, she still felt a tiny bit helpless. And _that_ was not a feeling she enjoyed in the slightest.

Finally, Neo reached the house. She stomped across the yard and threw open the front door. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder at Yang, but the blonde was staring at the ground, apparently fuming. Neo sighed and walked through the open doorway.

Maybe they both just needed some time alone.


	17. Chapter 14

Neo sat on the porch railing, one leg tucked up against her chest, the other dangling over the side. She kicked it slowly, letting it swing back and forth as she stewed in her thoughts.

She and Yang had barely spoken all day. After their last sparring match the evening before...Neo just felt uncomfortable. She needed to get through to Yang, but it seemed the only way she could do that was by simply being as awful as she could, until Yang finally snapped and took her anger out on Neo. That...was not exactly good for Neo. She didn't want to hurt Yang, even if it was for her own good. But she couldn't think of another way.

Neo's head snapped up as she heard heavy wingbeats. A raven circled overhead, then wheeled off towards the west, where the sun was sinking behind a heavy cloudbank. The grey mountain had been piling up, threatening a heavy snowstorm, the last desperate gasp of winter before it gave way to spring. Neo quickly lost sight of the raven, a black speck in the darkening sky.

Neo sighed. She wanted Yang to be happy and strong, but the poor girl was convinced that she was broken. Neo refused to believe that. The mere fact that Yang was able to get out of bed in the morning every day, considering where she was when Neo had found her...that showed how strong she was, and how determined.

Their first meeting seemed a lifetime ago. Neo had changed since then. She never would have imagined she could care so much for a person who wasn't Roman...or that caring for a person could hurt so much. Neo just wanted Yang to see herself the way Neo saw her.

Neo's thoughts were broken as the front door opened and Yang stepped out on the porch, weapons ready. Neo gave her a shy smile, even in the darkening winter evening Yang seemed to shine. The blonde, though, kept a stern face, nodding once, and stiffly, before she spoke.

"Hey, it's getting dark. You want to get one bout of sparring practice in before nightfall?"

Neo, swallowed. This was going to be the time she broke through to Yang, she was sure of it. She _had_ to make it happen. She swung her legs down from the railing and dropped to the ground.

 _"Sure. Let's go._ "

/

" _You remember the rules_?" Neo asked, her whispery voice drifting between the trees as she led Yang towards the clearing they had been using for sparring. Yang rolled her eyes.

"Course I do. One hit on you, that's all."

" _We're adding another rule today. We go until your Aura breaks._ "

Yang paused in her stride momentarily, then steeled herself and pressed forward, fists clenched.

"Let's do it, then," she snarled.

" _Gladly,_ " Neo replied, and with that she turned and sprinted off into the woods, snow flying up around her feet. Yang stood there for half a second, gobsmacked, then she took off after Neo.

"Hey!"

Neo's giggle sounded out through the forest.

" _No one said I had to stand there and make it easy for you!"_

Yang lost sight of Neo in the trees and immediately skidded to a halt. This was exactly the kind of strategy Neo would use to surprise her. Proud that she had caught on, Yang brought up her guard and moved carefully through the forest, ducking around tree trunks, wary for any sign of her opponent.

As if from nowhere, Neo appeared from behind a snow-laden oak and aimed a kick at her. Yang, spun around quickly and blocked it, then stepped back and fired, the round gouging a chunk of wood from the tree and forcing Neo to drop back as well. Yang pressed her advantage, only for Neo to vanish into thin air.

Yang brought up her guard again, pressing her back against a tree. She had to think, what would Neo use to get the drop on her?

 _Drop. The trees!_

Yang darted forward, spinning around and firing her gauntlet off into the snow-laden tree branches above her. A shower of snow cascaded down around her, but it only served to mask Neo's descent. Yang felt the smaller girl land hard on her back, heavy boots striking her head and the back of her neck. They both hit the ground, Yang feeling snow stick in her hair and find its way into her clothes. She rolled away quickly and sprang upright, and found herself face-to-face with Neo.

For a moment they were both stock-still, sizing each other up and blinking melted snow out of their eyes. The sun had sunk lower behind the piled-up clouds, and the shadows had lengthened. The forest was plunged into an early twilight gloom.

" _Guess we should make this quick,_ " Neo whispered, that same damn smirk on her face.

 _Watch yourself, Yang, she's done this before..._

Yang pivoted quickly, catching a glimpse of flying snow to her left, as the Neo in front of her disappeared. Yang felt a bit of pride that she had caught it so quickly - but when she fired Ember Celica at where she _thought_ Neo was, she instead felt Neo's boot slam into her chin. Stunned, she was barely able to bring up her arm to block the next attack, but she was a fraction of a second too late - Neo's boot connected with her stomach, and she once again found herself planted on her back in the cold, wet snow. She tried rolling again, but again Neo planted her boot on Yang's stomach, knocking the air out of her. Then, she stepped back.

" _Come, on get up. Otherwise I'll just be beating you until your Aura breaks,_ " Neo said. Yang saw red creeping into the edges of her vision. Damn it, Neo was just _toying_ with her now!

She surged to her feet and caught her breath, while Neo moved carefully in a wide circle around her, swinging her parasol. Yang realized that Neo hadn't even bothered to use her weapon in this fight.

 _Don't go easy on me, please,_ Yang thought desperately. She needed an enemy to fight, to direct her rage against. It was the disconnect in her mind again, she wanted to fight the old Neo, but the new one was still here, if only she could separate them in her mind...

/

 _She's close, I can tell,_ Neo thought frantically. Yang just needed something to provoke her, to push her over the edge.

" _What's the matter, Yang, afraid to hurt me?_ " she asked.

"Are _you_?" Yang replied, "It's not like you haven't done it before!"

The barb stung, but Neo wouldn't let up.

" _I've done plenty worse things, Yang..."_

"Oh, I'm well aware!" Yang snarled, "You probably could have killed me and never lost any sleep over it!"

" _Don't you get it Yang_!?", Neo yelled, voice ragged and breaking, " _All those people I killed, I enjoyed every minute of it! I never felt more alive than when I was watching the life fade from someone's eyes."_

 _Kablam!_

Yang fired both of her gauntlets at the ground, propelling her forwards towards Neo. Neo's heart leapt into her throat as she saw the flames licking around Yang's hair and saw the red fill her eyes.

Icy fear gripped her heart...but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel excitement.

/

Yang didn't even check her pace. To do so would have meant defeat, she needed to close the gap as quickly as possible before Neo could move, or throw up an illusion.

More rage bubbled up inside her, but with it came a sudden clarity. This was no longer Neo, the sweet and gentle girl who had helped her through her darkest days. This was the unrepentant murderer who had almost killed her, her sister, and who knew how many innocents.

She was burning. She felt her rage return, filling her, making her stronger. She rushed forwards, and Neo moved to meet her, parasol ready to block or deflect her blows. This time, though, she was stronger, and faster, and she knew how to fight Neo.

Images flashed through her head with every blow: Emerald Sustrai. Mercury Black. Cinder Fall. Adam Taurus. _Adam Taurus! Adam Taurus!_

This wasn't about Yang, or how they had hurt her, it was about how they had hurt the people she cared about, the people she loved.

Neo was mixing it up now, relying primarily on kicks to try and catch Yang off guard, but she was moving quickly, blocking every attack in turn and giving as good as she got. With every blow, Neo was forced back a step, no matter if she blocked or deflected it. Her eyes flashed white for a moment, fear momentarily appearing, only to be replaced by determination. Yang's own eyes were blazing red, tinging the whole world a blood scarlet, and it seemed that the twilight woods were lit up by her fiery hair.

 _She was burning again._

All it took was one punch from her right arm, her robot arm, powered by her rage and pain, connecting with the center of Neo's chest. The girl let out a gasp of pain and surprise before she was sent _flying_ backwards, tumbling into a snowdrift.

Everything stopped suddenly.

She felt incredible. She looked down at her hands as the light from her hair faded, plunging the woods back into darkness. She'd _done it_! She'd gotten her Semblance back! She'd even landed a hit on Neo-

 _Oh, right_...

Yang turned and saw Neo sitting up in the snowdrift where she had landed, a genuine smile on her face.

Yang was by her side in a second, her right arm wrapped around the smaller girl, propping her up, while she pressed the palm of her good hand to the center of Neo's chest. When she didn't gasp or flinch away, Yang relaxed.

" _I'm okay, Yang,_ " Neo whispered. She looked up at Yang and smiled.

"I did it..." Yang said in a hushed tone, and returned Neo's smile.

" _You did it!"_ she said as she wrapped her arms around Yang and hugged her. Yang couldn't bring herself to return the gesture.

"Neo, wait..."

She pulled away from the hug and stood up, brushing snow off her clothes and shivering suddenly. Night had almost completely fallen, and Yang turned around to find the direction of the house again.

" _Yang, what's wrong?_ "

Yang felt a pained expression cross her face.

"Did you mean what you said? About enjoying it?"

" _Yang, come on-"_

"Did you?"

/

Neo's heart sunk at the coolness in Yang's tone.

" _Yang, I...I didn't mean-"_

Yang said a single word, clipped and harsh.

"Stop."

Neo swallowed and looked up at the blonde, not sure what she was feeling. She thought it might be shame.

"I don't know why I let this happen. I can't believe I let myself..."

Yang cut herself off, turned on her heel, and threw up her hands.

"I can't believe I let myself forget who you are," she said bitterly. Neo felt a stab of that same feeling. It was pain, a stabbing pain in her chest, that made her want to shrink away. She...she had _hurt_ Yang, and somehow realizing that had made her feel worse than anything.

" _Who am I to you?_ " Neo whispered, her voice barely audible. Yang turned to look over her shoulder.

"You're a murderer. An unrepentant murderer. And I tried to tell myself that you were something else underneath, like helping me would erase what you did before..."

" _Yang..._ "

Neo felt her heart pounding in her chest, this wasn't what she wanted at all! Neo was so terrified by this new feeling. And why wasn't she angry? Why wasn't she getting defensive?

"Maybe I wanted to think that. Maybe I wanted to believe you could be someone else. But how can...how can I love a murderer?"

For half a moment, Neo felt a roaring sound in her ears, she felt like she was falling...then everything stopped. She felt a moment of absolute clarity.

She _wanted_ Yang to love her. She wanted that so badly, and Yang...she probably felt the same way. But the blonde couldn't return those feelings the way Neo wanted her to. Just as she had said, Neo was a murderer...and knowing that hurt Yang more than Neo had understood. There was a brief flare of hope - if Neo could just make it right, maybe they could have a chance - but that was quickly replaced with dread. Yang could never love her. Not while Neo had this blood on her hands.

" _Yang...Yang I'm sorry, I..."_

Yang wasn't listening. She was making her way to the house in the gathering night, feet crunching in the snow. Neo didn't know what to say.

/

Yang felt sick.

She was a little upset that she had lashed out at Neo, but mostly she was just angry at the little murderer. This wasn't the kind of anger that fueled her Semblance though, this just made her...tired.

Seeing that Neo was upset as well...it hurt, but at the same time Yang felt that Neo needed to realize this. She wished it had been at a different time, and she had said it differently...but it needed to be done.

Yang put one foot in front of the other, passing quickly through the woods and soon coming in sight of the house.

" _Yang...wait..."_

Yang checked her pace momentarily, but did not stop. That was enough for Neo to scamper after her, eyes downcast.

" _Yang...I...I don't know what to say._ "

"Maybe start with an apology?" Yang asked.

Neo glanced away quickly and began to stammer.

" _It's just...I did it because..."_

Yang felt righteous anger welling up in her. _This_ was why she couldn't forgive Neo, because she still, after everything, refused to admit that she was wrong. She reached the front door and opened it, throwing a beam of light across the darkened yard. She took a deep breath, turned to face Neo, and sighed.

"You know what I think? I think you're just a scared little girl who inflicts her pain on others because she doesn't know how to deal with it herself."

Neo stopped so quickly it was as if she had been struck. Her eyes turned white, and whatever words she had been about to speak died on her lips. She snapped her mouth shut, and she trembled slightly.

"Neo, I think you need to take a long hard look at yourself, and ask yourself...if you really did enjoy killing people, then why did you go to all the trouble of justifying it?"

Snowflakes were beginning to drift down out of the sky. Some of them stuck in Neo's particolored hair, the same hair Yang had braided just under a week ago. She felt another lump in her throat as she turned to go inside.

/

" _Wait...please..."_

Neo stepped up on to the porch and slumped against the column that held up the roof. She felt so helpless to convince Yang to just _stay_ , to _listen to her_. She was so cold, and tired, and overwhelmed by it all...she pulled her coat tighter around her.

To Neo's profound relief, Yang paused in the open doorway. Neo felt her chest tighten. Now...now she only had to find the words to say.

Yang was right. As much as it hurt to hear, Yang was right. Neo had been killing people to forget, to escape the pain she carried with her. She'd created these elaborate justifications, but in the end it had only been so that she could feel a little less alone and afraid.

And it hadn't worked.

She remembered suddenly how every time she had killed someone, the feeling of control and power had quickly faded. No matter how many people she killed, it had never made being alone in the dark any easier. She'd done it purely for that brief moment of satisfaction, that high...all those deaths, and they hadn't even helped her escape that feeling of powerlessness for more than a moment.

She had been lying to herself all this time.

She'd been hurting people - people like Yang. Their fight on the train hadn't been an isolated incident, it had been part of a pattern of destruction. It was Neo's worldview that had nearly killed the woman she now loved, not some series of circumstances outside her control. And if she had grown to regret almost killing Yang, who else could she have regretted killing? All those people she had killed, all to hide from the fact that deep down, she was scared and alone...it was pathetic in hindsight, a facade of confidence, hollow in the end.

" _I'm...I never knew..._ "

There words were impossible to say. She tried to grasp at them, only for them to escape her, even as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Neo?"

Neo let out a shuddering breath and looked pleadingly at Yang.

" _I was wrong, Yang. No matter what I told myself...I was always a monster. I never realized just how much I hurt people. I tried to hide from that...but then I met you."_

Yang never made her feel alone or afraid. When she was with Yang, she felt warm and safe, like she was wrapped in a thick blanket. Yang, even if she had judged Neo, still only did so because she cared, because she wanted her to be better. All of Neo's fears and doubts vanished when Yang smiled at her.

Neo thought that maybe if she earned Yang's love, she'd never be alone again.

But then...then she thought about how Yang had looked at her when she had talked about enjoying it when she killed people. That look filled her with shame. She couldn't bear to have Yang look at her the same way again. But if Yang truly thought Neo was a murderer...then how could Neo ever earn her love?

 _How could Yang ever love a monster?_ she thought.

Yang, so selfless and pure and good, she could never love someone like Neo, someone who killed for the pleasure of it.

Neo felt tears running down her face.

 _You're a monster...you're a monster and that's why Yang can't love you..._

" _When I saw how much it hurt you...I couldn't lie to myself any more. I never want to hurt you again, Yang,"_ she said, her voice breaking as she descended into a bout of crying.

/

Whatever anger Yang had felt was long gone. At such an outpouring of grief, it had been replaced with compassion. Neo was hurting so, so deeply, and when Yang had lashed out at her she'd cut uncomfortably close to the truth. What Neo needed, more than anything, was to be comforted.

There wasn't even a doubt in Yang's mind. She would help Neo to heal, just as Neo had helped her. Yang stepped forward to wrap her arms around Neo. Before she could even hold her close, Neo had stepped forward and pressed herself against Yang, wrapping her arms tightly around her. As Yang pulled her in close she realized just how frail the smaller girl seemed. Neo shuddered and buried her face in Yang's chest. As much as Yang had been frustrated with Neo...this was exactly what she wanted to hear. Yang was willing to give Neo a chance, if she was truly remorseful, and if she truly wanted to change. And...Yang believed she was. It wasn't just that she _wanted_ to believe it, she really felt in her gut that Neo wanted to be saved.

"Neo...Neo, you're not a monster. If you were a monster you wouldn't feel guilty," she said soothingly.

Neo whimpered, cleared her throat, and spoke hoarsely.

" _Why...why are you still comforting me? Why don't you hate me? After everything-"_

"Shhh. Neo, I can't hate you. Not if you feel guilty. You want to change, right?"

Neo's eyes met Yang's, and she saw they were no longer white - instead, they were both a deep brown.

" _I do. I want to be better. So that..."_ she swallowed, " _So that I'll never hurt you again."_

Yang smiled at her.

"That," Yang said, squeezing Neo gently, "Is why I can't hate you. Because you can be sweet, and caring, and that's how I know there's still good in you."

/

Neo wiped away her tears and looked back at Yang.

" _Thank you for giving me a chance, Yang. I won't let you down,"_ she whispered hoarsely. She meant it - she intended to make it up to Yang, every day, with all her might. Then...maybe she could deserve Yang's love.

"Neo. You said you...did those things to forget. So that you could forget being alone and afraid."

" _Yes."_

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. Because I'm going to help you heal. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm here."

" _Thank you_..."

Neo's heart was pounding in her chest. She was always surprised by the generosity and kindness showed by Yang Xiao Long. Yang's arm was wrapped around her, gentle and comforting, yet at the same time with strength that spoke of protectiveness. Neo wanted to return the embrace - to drape her arms over Yang's shoulder and press herself against the blonde, feel her body against Yang's. She wanted to cling desperately to Yang and never let go.

Neo realized she was tired. Not just because of the effort of pouring her heart out to Yang, or the stress of realizing just how awful her choices had been. She was tired of being afraid. She was tired of lying to herself. She was tired of being alone.

"Neo...let's just go to bed," Yang said, taking Neo's hand.

" _Yang_?" Neo asked, her voice cutting clear through the silence.

"Yes, Neo?"

" _I...I don't want to be alone tonight..._ "

Yang squeezed Neo's hand. In the warm light streaming out through the door, Neo could see her smile.

"I understand. You can stay with me tonight."

Neo's heart leapt into her throat.

 _Tonight_.

" _Thank you_ ," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper. Yang led her by the hand inside, closing the front door behind her.

Neo moved as if she was in a trance. All Neo could think about was how thankful she was...and how much she cared about Yang. This beautiful, compassionate girl who had come into her life so unexpectedly.

Who had changed her by showing her the affection and kindness she'd always craved.

Neo paused at her bedroom door.

" _Let me change. I'll be there in a minute._ "

Yang smiled at her and gave her hand one last squeeze before continuing down the hall.

Neo moved quickly, though she was still shaking from the excitement of the day. As she changed into her sleeping clothes, she glanced at the closet.

She opened it and knelt on the floor, opening her duffel bag and taking out Roman's hat. The tears returned as she held it gently in her hands.

" _You...you tried to watch out for me. But you don't have to worry anymore. I have Yang to care for me now._ "

Neo wiped away her tears, stood up, and left.

She made her way to Yang's room and found the blonde lying in her bed, holding up the edge of the blankets for Neo. For a moment she hesitated. It seemed so strange, so personal, and even though it was everything she wanted, she wasn't sure Yang was comfortable with it.

" _I..._ "

Yang gave her a soft laugh.

"It's fine, really."

Neo's heart practically melted at that sweet, musical voice. She crawled into bed, and before she had a chance to get comfortable Yang's grabbed her with her good arm, pulling her in close.

Neo felt her stomach flip over as Yang's strong arm wrapped around her protectively, as she felt Yang's warm body against hers. She hadn't realized just how numb she was from the cold until she felt the heat from Yang's body pressed against her back.

"You're okay, Neo _..."_ Yang whispered. Neo smiled and reached up to touch Yang's hand.

 _I love you,_ she thought. She could say it another time.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of Yang's shallow breathing. Neo was so tired...

As she drifted off to sleep, she had one final thought.

She wouldn't have to face the night alone anymore.

/

End of Act II


	18. Interlude 2

Pure white snow lay in deep drifts, piled against tree trunks and hiding rocky outcrops and shrubs, smoothing the landscape. It almost buried the headstone of the little cliffside grave.

Qrow walked through the deep snow, his long legs sinking into the cold white blanket past his calves and letting snow find its way inside his boots. He sighed out a cloud of white breath and knelt by the grave and began brushing snow off of it, revealing the rose carved there above the epitaph.

 _Thus Kindly I Scatter._

Over the wind and the sound of his work he heard the flutter of heavy wings, followed by the crunch of another pair of boots in the deep snow far behind him.

Qrow narrowed his eyes, set his teeth, and continued tending to the grave.

"Qrow?" asked Raven's voice. He turned and looked back over his shoulder. His twin sister watched him the treeline, staring at him through the small oval eyeholes in her mask from, framed between two snow-crowned trees, her hand on the hilt of her katana.

"Raven," he replied with a nod, "Better late than never, I guess."

Raven removed her mask and walked forward, placing her feet carefully between snowdrifts as she picked her way towards him. He felt her eyes flick up from finding safe footholds in the snow to glare at the back of his head.

"I've been busy. How are things on your end?"

Qrow shook his head.

"Right to business as always," he chuckled as he turned his attention back to the grave, "But to answer your question - steady. Ruby and her friends are on their way to Haven. They'll get to the bottom of things once they arrive, more likely than not."

"You think they're smart enough?" she asked as she paused her stride.

Qrow smirked.

"Heh. Smarter than you'd think. At the very least they'll stir up trouble and flush something out. Kids are good at that."

Raven stopped a moment to scan the area, eyes ghosting over the horizon, then the treeline behind her.

"Hmm. What about the others?"

"Still where they were before. The princess is locked in her tower up in Atlas and the Faunus girl is sleeping in empty houses in Vale."

"And our enemies?" she asked, walking forwards again.

Qrow stopped tending to the grave and let out a heavy sigh.

"No sign of the 'Fall Maiden'. For all I know she's still up on that tower. As for her two sidekicks...they're in Vale, somewhere, hiding. I'll know if they leave the city."

Raven pursed her lips in thought.

"I see. Think our Faunus friend could root them out?"

"Not alone. She'd need help."

She gave him a rare, knowing smile.

"I'm sure you have someone in mind. How is the girl?"

She stepped up next to him, leaving a deep trail through the snow behind her, and went to one knee next to him. She brushed the remaining snow off the headstone. Qrow inhaled sharply and shot her a furious glare.

"You mean your daughter?" he asked, his voice hard and cold as stone. She narrowed her eyes at him, her smile vanishing as suddenly as a whiff of smoke.

"I mean _the girl_. The serial killer. I hope this whole gamble was worth it," she replied, voice equally cool.

Qrow nodded and sat back on his heels.

"It was. She's with us now. Or...she's with Yang. She's not with _them_ , at the very least."

The two siblings passed a quiet moment observing the grave. Raven ran her eyes over the epitaph, while Qrow merely stared at it, a distant contemplative look on his face.

"I saw their fight yesterday," Raven said after the pregnant pause.

Qrow raised his eyebrow and looked at her.

"Really? What did you think?" he asked, the hint of a bitter chuckle in his voice. Raven raised her face to look at the horizon.

"I'm proud of Yang. I knew she could recover on her own. I...I knew how strong she was."

"Yeah, guess she didn't need you after all," Qrow stood and looked at Summer's grave. Raven stood up as well, brushing the snow from her knees and continuing as if she hadn't heard him.

"And now she'll be more dedicated than ever to our cause. I do wish she hadn't gone through such a loss so soon...but she's stronger for it now, I think."

She stared off into the distance, while Qrow pursed his lips and thought about that.

"She didn't recover on her own, you know," he said, "She had her dad. And Neo."

"All the better," his sister replied, emotionless, "She'll need someone with her on the road."

Qrow shook his head.

"Taiyang says I sound more like Ozpin every day, but I think it's _you_ who really took after him."

Raven winced, but quickly composed herself and looked at Qrow.

"Have you heard from Ozpin? Do you know what happened?"

Qrow took out his flask and drank deeply from it while Raven frowned at him.

"I couldn't tell you," he said bitterly when he had finished, "Won't risk anyone finding out."

Raven nodded, satisfied.

"Very well. I believe we're done here, then." she said as she placed her mask back over her face. Qrow watched her make her way towards the cliffside, shaking his head. She stepped up above the piled snowdrifts onto a large flat rock and perched there, the wind picking at her scarf and hair and making them flutter like banners.

"Hey," Qrow said as Raven paused on the very edge, "You know Yang's gonna want to come after you."

Raven glanced over her shoulder one more time.

"...Let her. We have a lot to talk about," she said, then with a flash she turned into a raven and began winging her way north and west. Qrow shook his head and stowed his flask away.

"Nice talking to you too, sis."

He looked down at Summer's grave and shook his head.

"I'm trying to look after your girls, Summer I really am..." he said in a hoarse voice, "But I'm just one man."

He turned away from the cliffside, cloak swirling in the cold breeze. A moment later he too was flying west, leaving a lonely grave on the cliffside.


	19. Chapter 15

For now we see as in a mirror, darkly, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

/

Yang came awake slowly, drifting back into consciousness from a thankfully untroubled sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring at the ceiling. The barest hint of light was coming in through the window - it must have been just before dawn. She let out a tired mumble and rolled onto her side, and immediately remembered who she was sharing her bed with, as soon as she found herself looking at Neo's sleeping form. Sometime during the night the girl had rolled over so that she was facing Yang, curled up slightly. Her face looked peaceful, the barest hint of a smile on her face.

Immediately Yang felt all the mixed emotions from the night before rushing back. She felt proud of herself for finally being able to use her Semblance again, she remembered her anger and disappointment at Neo, her compassion when Neo had broken down in front of her...then she felt the deep affection she held towards her one-time rival, the same affection that had led to the two of them falling asleep together.

Yang did the first thing that came to mind, which was to reach out and wrap her arm tightly around Neo and pull her in close. She had a little trouble moving without her right arm, but she had long ago grown used to that, and besides, she wasn't worried about that right now. Yang wanted to hold Neo and make sure she was okay, since the poor girl would probably feel the same rush of emotions as soon as she woke up as well. Yang had meant what she had said about helping her heal.

As soon as she had grabbed hold of Neo, she responded by murmuring softly in her sleep and snuggling up against Yang, pressing her face into Yang's shoulder. Yang felt Neo's slender arms wrap around her waist, and smiled contentedly.

It was...a very good feeling.

Neo mumbled something and tightened her grip around Yang's waist - then suddenly stiffened. Yang smiled.

"You awake?"

" _Y-yeah_..." Neo whispered. Yang gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.

"You're okay, Neo..."

Neo relaxed, but kept her face hidden in Yang's shoulder. She took a deep breath, and after a moment pulled away from the embrace to look into Yang's eyes.

" _About yesterday_ -"

"Shh, we don't need to talk about that right now," Yang said soothingly. Neo nodded and glanced away, then back at Yang.

" _Then...can we talk about how good you did in that fight?_ " she suggested, her face brightening. Yang felt a broad grin spread across her face.

"It was amazing!"

" _You were amazing_ ," Neo whispered. Yang felt a thrill go through her and she hugged Neo tightly again.

"You helped me so much," Yang whispered, "Every step of the way. I couldn't have gotten there without you."

" _It was worth it, to see you like that. You were so-_ "

Neo went quiet.

"...So?" Yang asked. Neo pressed her face into Yang shoulder, her voice muffled.

" _...so beautiful._ "

Yang squeezed Neo tightly against her, though her face felt hot.

"Oh, Neo..."

A quiet moment passed between them. Yang's heart was beating unusually quickly, maybe she was just a little excited by Neo's sweet words.

/

Neo blushed and pressed her face closer against Yang's shoulder. She'd felt so safe and comfortable in Yang's warm embrace that she felt like she could say it. She could feel Yang's heartbeat through her chest, but despite its rapid tempo she found it pleasant, relaxing, even.

" _How do you feel?_ " she asked in attempt to distract herself.

"About our fight? Amazing. I feel like...like I'm finally there. Like I'm back. Like I'm me again."

Neo felt a wave of excitement go through her. She had never been so pleased to share in someone else's happiness. This was what she had wanted for so long. She hugged Yang again and reminded herself of just how close she had come to missing it. If Neo hadn't broken down last night...

 _I won't make you regret this_ , she thought. It was a promise, both to Yang and herself. She was going to spend every day making it up to Yang.

Strangely, all of her burdens from the night before seemed so much smaller in the light of day. Right now, she and Yang were lying comfortably in bed, and it was a pleasant morning, and they were both happy.

Neo didn't know how much time they passed like that, wrapped up in each other's arms. When the moment was finally broken, it was by Yang.

"Neo?"

Neo hummed inquisitively.

"I think we should tell my dad who you are."

Neo was still for a moment. The idea terrified her, but at the same time...

She pulled away from the embrace and sat up, facing Yang. Yang propped herself up on her arm and met Neo's gaze.

" _Are you sure?_ " she asked. Worries flashed through her mind. What if he was like Yang had been, and couldn't stand the murders she had committed? What if he sent her away, or worse? She...she couldn't lose Yang. Not now, not after everything.

"Neo," the blonde said, leaning forward and taking her hand, "I promise you're going to be okay. We can make my dad understand, but first we need to tell him the truth."

Neo shut her eyes and took a slow, shuddering breath. She supposed Yang's father had to know one way or the other...she didn't think it would be so bad with Yang at her side. He'd already welcomed her into his home before, maybe he'd take pity on her again. If they could make him understand the bond they had formed, maybe he would let her stay, for Yang's sake.

" _Are you sure he needs to know?_ "

"I am. He needs to know eventually, and right now seems as good a time as any. Think of it as...your first step in making up for what you did."

Neo opened her eyes again. When she saw the warm, gentle smile on Yang's face...she decided she had to do it. She just wasn't sure if she could.

" _Yang, I don't know if I can talk to him,_ " she whispered. Yang nodded.

"Well...maybe you could let me do the talking?"

Neo shook her head.

" _I need to tell him in my own words. Let me get my Scroll._ "

/

" _How do we tell him?"_ Neo whispered as she stepped out of her bedroom. Yang glanced down the hallway, then back to Neo. She'd had gotten dressed and put on her usual disguise, green eyes and black hair done in a single braid.

Yang walked down the hall cautiously, wondering where her dad would be.

 _Probably the kitchen._

"I think we should just state the facts first. Tell him who you are and why you're here now."

" _How do you think he'll take that well? What if he gets angry and doesn't let you finish? What if-?"_

Yang turned quickly and stopped Neo.

"Hey, hey, calm down. This is my dad, okay? You know what a big heart he has. He'll listen, I promise."

Neo fidgeted with her Scroll.

" _And..what if he wants me to talk? I have my Scroll but..."_

"Hey," she said, laying her hand reassuringly on Neo's shoulder, "It's alright. I'll be right next to you."

Neo gave her a halfhearted nod, and Yang stepped forward and peeked into the kitchen. She saw her dad laying breakfast out on the table. He had just taken a tray of rolls out of the oven, still warm and with steam rising from them.

"Hey, girls, you two are up a bit late," he said cheerily, "Come on, I made breakfast!"

Yang glanced at Neo, and the two walked into the kitchen. She knew that was nervous as well, she just hoped she could voice her thoughts in the heat of the moment. There was so much to say...

Yang placed her hand on Neo's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Dad? We, uh...we have something to tell you."

Taiyang's eyes flicked from Yang to Neo. He set his platter down on the kitchen table and nodded.

"Alright, what is it?" he asked, his smile quickly fading as his face grew serious.

Yang glanced at Neo, then took a deep breath.

"Florence...isn't who she says she is."

Her dad paused, then pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his elbows on the table, folding his hands in front of his face, and furrowing his eyebrows.

"Is that so?" he asked quietly.

Yang bit her lip. All the words she had been trying to prepare vanished, instead she could only say the first things that came to her mind.

"Yeah. She's not...not a student from Haven. She's actually..."

Yang went silent. How could she tell her dad? How could she explain that the girl that had been living under their roof for the past month had helped possibly the most feared terrorist in the history of Vale?

"Who are you?" her father asked, in a firm but quiet tone. Neo shivered and dropped her disguise, black hair turning to pink and brown, green eyes turning white in the space of a blink, her clothes changing as well.

"She was on the same team as Cinder, and the others," Yang said, the words tumbling out one after the other, "And she helped them with - with everything. But Dad, she's not with them anymore, she regrets all of that, and she's helped me so much-"

"Yang please, slow down," her dad said, raising a hand to slow her down. He mostly seemed confused, which was a change from the shock or anger Yang had expected.

Neo stood stock-still, tensed, every muscle in her body primed for flight. Yang kept her hand steady on her shoulder, trying to be reassuring, but her grip was tightening.

"Dad...Neo left Cinder's group after the Battle of Beacon. She turned against them, she wanted revenge, and she thought I could help her, so...she helped me get back on my feet. And during our time together..."

Yang paused again. How to explain what Neo had done for her? Neo had made her stronger, reminded her of who she was, made her feel good about herself again. Not to mention the way they felt about each other. How could she tell her dad just how much Neo meant to her?

"Why doesn't...Neo...say something for herself?" her father interjected. Yang wrapped her arm around Neo, drawing her in close. Neo leaned against Yang, but both her hands were busy typing away at her Scroll.

"Neo has trouble speaking. Especially when she's...when she's afraid."

Neo's fingers sped across her Scroll, typing out the words she wouldn't be able to say. Her father watched them quietly, unnervingly calm in the face of this new information.

"Dad, I trust Neo now," Yang said firmly, "I really do. Whatever she's done in the past...she wants to make things right."

Neo finished her message and stepped forward, handing the Scroll to Taiyang across the table. He reached out and took it, then stared carefully at the screen while Neo returned to Yang's side, taking her hand and slipping back under her arm.

/

[Taiyang, your daughter means the world to me. I came here looking to use her in my search for revenge, but somewhere along the line I realized just what a wonderful person she was, and just how much harm I had caused her. I deeply regret hurting her, and I want to spend every single day from now on making things right. It's what she deserves. I just hope you'll give me the chance to show her how much I care for her. To show her how much I love her.]

/

Neo's heart was pounding in her chest, her breath caught in her throat with every twitch of Taiyang's eyebrows. She imagined every one hid the flash of anger that would make him end her relationship with Yang.

 _He's Yang's father. He loves her, he wants the best for her...I should trust his judgement._

But at the same time, now that Neo knew just how much she had hurt Yang, as well as everyone else around her, it wasn't hard to see why Taiyang would choose to cast her out. Neo clung tightly to Yang's hand, hoping that they wouldn't be torn apart before Neo could even tell Yang how she felt.

Finally, Taiyang set down the Scroll and rubbed a hand across his mouth.

"Neo...do you really feel this way?" he asked. She gave him an eager nod. She had thought carefully about every word before putting them into that message. Taiyang looked at Yang.

"Dad, I told you. I trust her. Completely. And after everything she's done for me, I owe her so much."

Neo felt her heart sing at that. Knowing that Yang cared this much about her...it made her feel wanted. She had a place, and it was at Yang's side.

Taiyang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He stood up and leaned across the table to give Neo her Scroll back. She took it from him quickly and waited as he sat back down.

"You were with the people who started the Battle of Beacon, correct?"

Neo typed quickly and showed Taiyang her Scroll.

[Yes. I didn't join them willingly, but I helped them all the same.]

Taiyang grimaced and folded his hands again.

"And what did you do for them?"

Neo hesitated. If she told him her crimes, would he try and turn her in? She wanted to atone for what she did, but to Yang first and foremost.

[I killed people. I stole. I help hack the Atlesian Knights.]

She shut her eyes and clutched her Scroll tightly to her chest while she waited for his response. She leaned against Yang's body, seeking the comfort of physical contact.

Taiyang let out a heavy sigh. Neo opened her eyes cautiously and looked at his expression. It was the face of someone who was weighing two difficult choices, unsure yet serious.

"Neo, Yang is right," he began, speaking slowly, "You've done a lot for her. More than I could imagine. I'll never forget that. But you've also done a lot of harm, and I can't forget that either."

Neo felt her heart skip a beat as icy coils of fear gripped her gut. Yang's hand tightened on hers.

"Dad-" Yang began, but her father cut her off.

"If Neo really has left that part of her life behind, if she really does want to make things right...then I can accept that. You've forgiven her, but she's harmed more people than just you."

 _Ruby_. Neo had often thought about Yang's sister, and how she had originally blamed her for Roman's death. It was her quest for revenge against Ruby that had drawn Neo here in the first place, but all that seemed so long ago.

"Dad, please give Neo the chance to make up for it. She can be such a sweet and caring person...I've seen it."

[Taiyang, I know I have a lot to make up for. Let me start by being there for your daughter.]

He nodded, and it seemed to Neo that a weight was lifted from him.

"I will. One chance," he said sternly, and Neo understood the veiled warning...but then a gentle smile crossed his face, and he relaxed his stance, "I have faith that you won't waste it."

Neo felt immeasurable relief. She turned and threw her arms around Yang' hugging her tightly, silently celebrating that fact that she wouldn't have to let go.

"Dad, thank you!" Yang was saying, "Thank you so much..."

"I told you, Neo's done so much for you, and that means she's done a lot for me. I can't ignore how happy she makes you," her father replied. Neo turned to look at him, smiling broadly. She wiped at her eyes, hoping she wasn't close to tears, and knew that she could trust him as well.

" _Th-thank you...so much..._ " she whispered hoarsely. Taiyang simply smiled back at her, and the warmth there was so familiar that Neo knew where Yang had gotten her own kindness from.

"Welcome to our home, Neo. Please, have some breakfast," he said, gesturing to the chair next to him. Neo hesitated.

 _Is that it? It's over?_

Taiyang quickly sensed her hesitation and stood up.

"Of course, how could I forget!"

He quickly wrapped his arms around her, taking her in a tight embrace. It wasn't long before Yang was next to them, and her father had added her to the hug. Neo slipped her arm around Yang's waist and savored the moment.

"Thank you, Dad. This means a lot...to both of us."

"Of course, firecracker."


	20. Chapter 16

Yang couldn't help but smile as she watched Neo help her dad wash up after breakfast. Neo was still a little shy, but it seemed like she was starting to relax. Her dad and Neo wouldn't be having any long heart-to-hearts any time soon, but at the very least they could be open with each other.

Yang felt completely at ease. After watching what seemed like her whole life falling apart around her, and then the long struggle of getting back to where she had been before...she felt like everything was just going _right_.

As Yang watched Neo move around the kitchen, she was struck by just how beautiful she was. Her small stature combined with her full figure were a deadly combination, and the way she moved surely about the room spoke to the strength and skill in those slender limbs...and then of course there was her face, delicate and gentle, while her bright hair and eyes were alluring, mischievous one moment and soft and gentle the next.

Yang had to admit, she had fallen for Neo. And she wanted to be close to her, closer than she already was...closer than she'd been to anyone. As much as she wanted that, though, part of her was still afraid. So many people had left her...how could she give another person the chance to do the same? Even if she trusted Neo, Yang didn't want to let herself be hurt again.

Yang caught herself staring and tried not to blush. She turned and looked out the kitchen window. Last night those few light flurries had turned into a full-on blizzard, one that left deep drifts piled up almost to the windowsill. The sun had come out though, making the pure white snowfall sparkle where it caught ice crystals at just the right angle. Yang looked over her shoulder at Neo.

"Probably not the best weather to go for a run, huh?" she asked. Neo looked past her out the window and gave her a nod of agreement.

"I think it's good weather to sit on the couch and have some hot chocolate," her dad said off-handedly. When Neo paused by the sink, a stack of plates in her hand, and gave her a look of anticipation, Yang couldn't help but smile.

Yang couldn't remember when she had been this close to another person. She could remember when she had _cared_ this much about someone else, but that had been...before the Battle of Beacon. And even then, she didn't think she'd been so eager to just _touch_ someone.

"I think that sounds exactly what we should do," she said to Neo, "How about we help finish doing the dishes and we can sit on the couch with some hot chocolate?"

/

Neo loved sweets. Ice cream was her favorite, of course, but hot chocolate on a cold day was a luxury she had only known a handful of times. Today was without a doubt the best experience, thanks almost entirely in part to the fact that she was sharing it with Yang.

As she drained her mug, slurping up the half-melted marshmallows at the bottom, she heard Yang giggle. Neo blushed and set down her mug on the coffee table, then sat back on the couch, leaning against Yang and resting her head on the blonde's right shoulder.

Yes, Neo definitely expected this to go down as one of her more pleasant memories.

Neo couldn't remember a time when she was as happy as the months she spent at the Xiao Long house. Not only did she have warm meals and a soft bed every day - and that was something she would never take for granted - she had also grown closer to Yang. Very close, both emotionally and physically.

It seemed to Neo that after last night, the boundaries between them had come down. It was unspoken, but neither of them were uncomfortable with all the physical contact between them - whether it was cuddling in bed or holding hands or just leaning against each other, as they were doing now.

Yang sipped at her hot chocolate and rested the mug on her leg. Neo looked up at Yang and felt her heartbeat quicken. She suddenly felt the urge to kiss Yang, to lean in and taste the chocolate on her tongue.

 _Kiss her. Then tell her you love her. Maybe just kiss her._

Neo, for all the pleasant moments she had shared with Yang that day, was still unsure of herself when it came to telling Yang how she felt. Yes, there was the unspoken leap forward in their relationship...but admitting their love would be another leap, and so soon after the first, Neo could only feel anxious.

Better to just kiss her.

"Neo, do you remember when we visited Summer's grave?" Yang asked. The sudden question pulled Neo out of her thoughts.

Neo smiled as she remembered holding Yang's hand and watching the sunlight catch her hair.

" _I told you I had no intention of leaving you,_ " she replied softly.

"Hmm. That's just what I was thinking of," Yang said, her voice oddly serious. Neo shifted slightly against Yang's shoulder.

" _Is something wrong?_ " she asked. Yang frowned and took a small sip from her mug she leaned forward, set it down on the coffee table next to Neo's and half-turned in her seat to face the smaller girl.

"Neo...before the Battle of Beacon...Blake was my partner."

" _Right,_ " Neo said, " _You tried to save her from Adam Taurus,_ " she whispered. That moment where Yang had been willing to sacrifice herself for her friend was one of the reasons Neo had been drawn to her. She had rarely found someone that selfless.

"Well...I think we were a little more than partners. Or at least, I wanted us to be. We were...really close."

Yang's voice seemed distant. She cleared her throat and was silent for a moment, during which Neo glanced down at the coffee table uncomfortably. There had to be a reason for Yang to bring this up now...

" _So when she left..._ " Neo began, her voice trailing off.

"It broke my heart," Yang finished. Her voice was cracking.

/

Yang felt heartache welling up inside her. She'd reopened an old wound, one that she'd thought had healed.

 _It hurts. It hurts but you need to say it. Pain will make you stronger..._

"Neo, I still don't know why Blake left. All I know is that I was willing to give _everything_ for her...and she left me. And that probably hurt more than losing my arm."

Neo turned to face Yang and sat up on her knees. Yang swallowed and blinked away tears.

 _Why am I so weak?_

" _Yang, I'm...I'm so sorry."_

Yang took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Neo, the reason I'm telling you this is because...because I don't want you to leave me too. I don't want to go through that pain again. That sounds selfish, and...and I know we both want more from this but..." she paused as she felt herself crying. She reached up to wiped away her tears, cursing her own weakness again.

She'd already asked Neo not to leave her before, but this time it seemed more urgent. Then her feelings for Neo had just been beginning to grow, but now they had fully blossomed.

Then Neo wrapped her arms around Yang, hugging her as tightly as she could. One of her hands went up to Yang's right shoulder, which she rubbed at comfortingly.

" _You're okay, sunshine. You're okay._ "

Yang sobbed and leaned into the embrace.

"It's been one day and I'm already afraid. What the hell is _wrong_ with me?"

She rested her forehead against Neo's head. Her soft particolored hair tickled Yang's face, and she inhaled Neo's scent.

Strawberries. She smelled like strawberries. Yang wondered why: was it Neo's natural scent? Was she using strawberry-scented shampoo? Was it some sort of illusion? She didn't care - it was wonderful.

" _Yang...I know they're only words...but I promise, I'm not going to leave you. I can't, not after everything you've done for me. That's how I'm going to make it up to you, by being there for you every step of the way."_

Neo coughed lightly and pulled away, enough for Yang to look into her eyes. They were such a soft shade of pink…

"I know, Neo. I believe you," Yang replied. Neo shivered and reached up from Yang's shoulder to cup her face.

" _Do you trust me?_ " Neo asked hoarsely.

"I do. I know this is so sudden...I feel ridiculous."

" _No, Yang,"_ Neo replied soothingly, " _I know it hurts. It's okay to be afraid, as long as you know I'll be with you all along the way."_

"I know you will," Yang said as she smiled and blinked away the last of her tears. She'd have to trust Neo. Not just because she wanted to, but because she needed to. They couldn't move forward with their relationship if Yang was always afraid that Neo would leave her.

" _Yang,_ " Neo whispered, her voice barely audible, " _Can I kiss you?_ "

Yang's breath caught in her throat as she stared into Neo's eyes.

"Y-yes..." she said hoarsely. Neo leaned in, gently, until their faces were inches apart.

Neo sighed, so quietly it was barely an exhale, and then they were kissing.

At first it was light, Neo's lips pressed against Yang's, little more than a quick peck. But it was sweet, and Yang wanted more. Neo pulled away first, to gauge Yang's reaction.

Yang's reaction was to wrap her arm around Neo's waist and pull the girl into her lap. Neo moved in to kiss her again, wet and warm, then Yang's tongue was probing at Neo's lips, seeking entry.

Neo sighed and deepened the kiss, leaning against Yang and wrapping her arms around Yang's neck. Yang tasted chocolate on Neo's tongue.

Yang's heart was pounding. This was...absolutely perfect. When Neo broke away, it was to gasp for breath. Yang kept her eyes shut, savoring the feeling of Neo sitting in her lap, arms wrapped around her.

" _What should we do now?_ " Neo asked.

"C-can we keep doing that?" Yang replied breathlessly.

Neo giggled, and then she kissed Yang again.


	21. Chapter 17

They were washing the dishes when it first happened.

Yang and Neo had shared their first kiss, and the two of them had spent the first few days after that in what Yang could only describe as bliss. Though they had gone back to sleeping in separate rooms, it seemed that every waking moment was spent in each other's company. With the outside world still bound in heavy snow, the two of them found ways to pass the time.

Most of that was lying on the couch or in bed together, trading kisses, soft and gentle or heated and passionate. Sometimes they would talk quietly with each other, or read books, or just lie there and enjoy each other's presence.

Some days they would find the time to exercise in the garage, and even then they found ways to do it together. Whether it was Neo sitting on Yang's back while she did push-ups or Neo showing off just how flexible she could be, it was another way for them to be together.

They would part long enough to eat meals, to sleep, or to help Yang's dad with chores around the house.

And on one particular day, half a week since the fateful evening when the blizzard swept over their house, Yang and Neo were doing the dishes when Neo finally said it.

Yang was drying the dishes, her mechanical arm strapped to her stump. She was trying to wear it more throughout the day, it made things easier but still felt awkward and clumsy at times. She had just finished stacking the plates by the sink when Neo finished washing. She quickly stepped around Yang and looked at the stack of dishes, then frowned up at the cupboard. Dragging a chair over to the counter, she climbed on top of it and picked up the stack of plates before realizing what she had done.

" _Can you get the door?_ " she asked. Yang smiled playfully and opened the cupboard for her.

" _Thanks. I love you,"_ Neo said as she set the stack of plates on the cupboard shelf.

For a moment Yang stared at her, unsure as to what she had heard, when Neo blinked and turned to look at her. Standing on the chair had put her at eye level with Yang.

For the space of a heartbeat, they stared into each other's eyes. Neo, sweet and gentle Neo, loved her, and after all they had done for each other Yang could almost believe it. She _did_ believe it. And she felt an upwelling of happiness that her bond with Neo had grown that strong. But really, Yang believed Neo simply because she trusted her not to leave.

In that heartbeat, Yang knew how to react.

"...I love you too," Yang said, her voice quiet. Neo's eyes widened, and Yang saw the breath catch in her throat.

" _You..._ "

"You said you loved me," Yang said quickly. Neo clapped a hand over her mouth.

" _I do love you..."_ she whispered, lowering her hand again. Tears glittered in her eyes, but she had a smile on her face. Yang quickly put her hands on Neo's hips and pulled her in close.

"I know. It just feels good to finally hear it..."

She leaned in and kissed Neo, and the smaller girl quickly returned the kiss, one hand going to the back of Yang's neck. Yang broke away from the kiss, but Neo was holding her close, her lips next to Yang's ear.

"How...how long?" Yang asked breathlessly.

" _Since that night when you let me fall asleep with you,"_ Neo whispered in Yang's ear.

"I don't know when it happened," Yang replied, "But I know it now."

Yang reached up to run her real hand through Neo's hair. Yang was sure that she loved Neo. There was no other way to describe how close they were, how much Neo meant to her...

Neo rested her head on Yang's shoulder, and for a moment the two of them stood alone in the kitchen, holding each other.

" _I was so worried..."_

 _Worried I wouldn't love her back,_ Yang thought.

"Don't be. I mean it, I promise," she said, kissing the side of Neo's head as she gently stroked her hair.

" _I know. I know, Yang. I love you..._ "

Yang savored the now-familiar feeling of Neo's body pressed against hers. It seemed like every day the two of them were crossing a new boundary with their relationship. And even as the excitement faded those boundaries became comforting.

This was another one of those moments. Right now, it was exciting. Yang could feel Neo's heart beating through her ribcage, and her own heart was beating in time with it. She felt the words swirl around in her head, until she wanted to say them.

But she knew she would be able to say them again, a thousand times more.

 _I love you. I love you. I love you._

Instead, the two of them held each other in silence, their embrace saying all it needed to for them.

/

Neo stepped soundlessly into Yang's room. She padded over to the bed and looked down at the sleeping blonde. She looked beautiful, golden hair spread out around her head like a halo. Her face was peaceful, untroubled by her waking worries. Neo almost felt guilty about disturbing Yang's slumber as she shook Yang's shoulder and whispered to her. She wanted to slip into bed next to her, but she still felt too much apprehension.

" _Yang? Yang..."_

"Neo?" Yang mumbled as she shifted in bed.

" _Yang, I couldn't sleep_."

Yang half-rolled over to face Neo, eyes still shut tightly.

"Nightmares?" she asked sleepily.

" _Mmhmm_."

Yang rubbed at her eyes.

"Aww. Come here, pint-size," Yang said, lifting the blankets to welcome Neo into bed with her.

Neo smiled and slipped under the covers, snuggling up next to Yang. She threw her arms around the blonde's torso, savoring the warmth of Yang's body.

In truth, she had been having trouble sleeping, but only because she missed having Yang next to her. She had tossed and turned, painfully aware of her cold and empty bed, until she couldn't take it any more. She just needed to be with Yang.

"I've got you, Neo," Yang said soothingly. Neo sighed and rested her head on Yang's shoulder.

She was sure she would sleep well now.

/

Everything was fire and blood.

Adam Taurus stood above her, in the blazing ruins of Beacon's cafeteria.

Everything was red, the red of his hair and his sword and the blood that was _everywhere_. Her arm was hurting, a searing, stabbing pain. She could feel it in her missing fingers all the way up to her shoulder, a screaming lance that refused to die.

Adam's cruel grin below his inhuman mask was directed down at her, mockingly. She thrashed, trying to reach up, to fight him, but every movement tore at her missing arm. She didn't know whether she was screaming or not, but she wanted to.

The red began to fade to black, everything faded, her throat was tightening, all she knew was the pain in her arm and the darkness around her.

She continued to thrash, until it felt like the darkness was beginning to fade, she felt gentle hands on her face, and then...

/

Neo cupped Yang's cheek and stroked her hair as Yang's eyes snapped open, wide with fear. She was panting, her brow slick with sweat.

" _Yang, Yang are you okay_?" Neo asked. Yang was gasping, sucking in breaths, as her left hand untangled itself from the sheets and grabbed her right shoulder.

"M-my arm..."

Neo felt panic grip her. She had been awoken suddenly when Yang began thrashing around, she had tried to wake up her partner, and now that Yang was awake Neo had no idea what to do. She immediately tried to comfort the blonde, hugging her as tightly as she could and rubbing at her shoulder, trying to help reduce the lances of phantom pain.

" _I've got you, sunshine, I'm here_..." Neo said desperately. Seeing Yang in this much pain and fear was terrifying, Neo was willing to do anything to stop Yang from feeling that, but she just didn't know how.

Yang sobbed and held Neo back as tightly as she could. The poor girl was afraid, but Neo was glad she was there to give her some small comfort. As Yang's breathing began to slow, Neo kissed her forehead gently and stroked her hair.

" _Yang, it's okay...you're safe..._ " she whispered. Yang sighed and relaxed, though she still held on to Neo, as if she was afraid Neo would slip away.

"You're right. It was...just a nightmare," Yang said quietly. Neo lifted herself up enough to look into Yang's eyes. The fear was gone, but it was replaced by grief.

" _It was your arm, wasn't it?"_

Yang nodded, her face twisting with frustration.

"And Adam..."

Neo shushed Yang and held her again, cradling Yang's head against her chest.

" _Has this happened before?_ " she asked. Yang took another deep breath.

"Y-yeah...a lot. Neo, I'm never going to get past this. It's always going to be a reminder of...of everything that happened. Everything I've been through."

Neo was silent. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to make these feelings go away for Yang. All she could do was hold Yang tightly. And...

Neo pulled away from the hug and gently took hold of Yang's stub. She ran her thumb gingerly over the mass of scar tissue on the end, then dipped her head and laid a kiss on it.

Yang reached up to pet Neo's head, brushing back her soft particolored hair.

"Neo..."

" _I'm staying with you. Even if you always have to deal with this, I'll always be here to help you_."

Yang pulled Neo into a gentle kiss. She guided them both down onto the bed, where Neo pulled away from the kiss and cuddled up next to Yang again.

"You're such a sweet thing, Neo..."

" _I just want to help you, Yang. Anything I can do, just tell me."_

"I think...I think you did help. Thank you."

" _Of course, sunshine. You going to be okay?"_

Yang was quiet for a moment.

"Neo...I don't know if I can be okay."

" _What do you mean?"_ she asked.

"Sometimes...I think I'm too broken by what happened. And that I won't ever recover."

Neo was silent. Privately, she'd had the same thought sometimes. The pain and fear she'd been through was never going to leave her. But when she and Yang held each other, she felt less alone, less afraid.

" _That doesn't change anything. I'll still be here. I have to be, to make it all up to you._ "

Yang went silent again.

"Is that really what you think?"

" _Of...of course it is. I couldn't live with myself otherwise."_

"Neo...I don't want you to think you're obligated to stay with me…"

" _That's not it at all!"_ Neo said quickly, " _I just mean...after all the pain I put people through...I want to show you I can…"_ Neo trailed off, suddenly embarrassed.

"What?"

" _...To show you I can deserve your love."_

Yang pulled away from the embrace, but Neo was afraid to make eye contact. Yang put her hand on Neo's chin and tilted her head up so that she could see Yang's eyes shining in the darkness.

"Neo. I love you. You don't have to prove anything to me, you don't have to earn anything."

Neo swallowed.

" _I know, but...it's still the only way I can live with what I did."_

Yang kissed Neo gently on the forehead.

"Then maybe one day you can forgive yourself like I have."

Neo wiped her eyes and cuddled up against Yang again. She very much hoped that one day she would be able to feel that way...but until then, she still felt like she was atoning for something.

That didn't change the fact that she loved Yang with all her heart.

" _I know I've never met him...but I hate Adam for hurting you like this._ "

Neo was trying not to hate herself for hurting Yang as well. At least she had the chance to make it right. She could channel that guilt into helping Yang.

"He's still out there. Somewhere," Yang said hoarsely, after moment.

" _I know. But I promise as long as I'm with you, I'll protect you_."

"We'll protect each other."

Neo smiled into Yang's chest.

" _I love you, Yang_..."

"I love you too, Neo. I love you so much..."

Neo felt her eyes beginning to water again. All she'd wanted, all she'd _ever_ wanted, was to be loved and cherished by someone. And she'd finally found it, and she'd discovered what it felt like to love someone in turn.

Yang held Neo so tightly it seemed she was being crushed against the blonde's chest, but Neo couldn't bring herself to complain. Instead, it was all she could do to return the embrace.

Neo listened to Yang's breathing slow as she drifted back off to sleep. Neo smiled as she felt her lover relax, then closed her eyes and waited for sleep to claim her as well.

She was sure that as long as they had each other, they would be alright.


	22. Chapter 18

Night had fallen, and despite the lengthening days it was still cold enough that a fire in the evening was more than welcome. Yang used to love lying on the couch wrapped in a blanket, watching the flames consume the logs in the fireplace, then die down to faintly-glowing embers.

Tonight, she had the added comfort of Neo curled up with her underneath the blanket. They were both lying on the couch, Neo with her head on Yang's chest while Yang stared at the fire. Neo's head would rise and fall slightly with every breath Yang took.

Yang sighed and glanced away from the fire, up at the ceiling, blinking tightly to banish the spots floating in her vision.

"We have to leave, Neo," she said reluctantly. Neo raised her head and gave Yang a look of concern.

" _Like...right now_?"

"No," she said with a chuckle, though she quickly sobered, "But...tomorrow. I think it should be tomorrow."

" _Why_?"

"Because we can't stay here forever...as much as I would like to."

Yang would like nothing more than to be with Neo, happy and comfortable, but...there was so much that needed to be done. And if they didn't leave as soon as possible, then Yang didn't know when they would finally do it.

Neo pouted, but she gave Yang a nod of assent. Yang reached up to run her fingers through Neo's particolored hair.

"You seem like you're not sure. This was your idea in the first place, remember?"

Neo shifted uncomfortably.

" _It was. But that was before we were...together. A lot has changed. I've...changed. And even though when we started out, I just wanted to get you on your feet so you could help me...now I just want you to be happy. I want to make you happy."_

Yang looked into Neo's mismatched eyes.

"Neo...I want to stay here together as much as you do. But you know we can't with those people still out there."

" _I know. And I'm with you, but...it's not easy to leave._ "

"It'll be okay. We'll be together."

" _Of course,_ " Neo said. She leaned in to give Yang a brief, warm kiss, before settling back down, her head tucked under Yang's chin.

"Tomorrow," Yang sighed.

/

Neo stole through the house silently, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. In it was the last of her carefully hoarded Lien, several vials of Dust, some spare clothes, and her small collection of personal items. She wore her newest set of clothes, her parasol was tucked under her arm, and Roman's battered hat was perched on top of her head.

She paused in the hallway and spared a glance at the kitchen and the living room. So many good memories, quite a few bittersweet ones… She'd spent several months here, including a week of what she could only describe as the happiest of her life, as she and Yang brought down the barriers between them and admitted their love for each other.

Neo let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't going to be easy, leaving here, but she knew that she had to eventually. There was still so much to do, and even the best days didn't last forever, Neo supposed. Despite how much she wanted them to.

And as she adjusted Roman's hat, she remembered why she had come here in the first place. As much as she loved Yang, Roman had been the first person to care for her, and she needed to find the person responsible for his death. If Cinder Fall was out there, Yang and Neo were going to find her.

They were going to find a lot of people.

Neo started as she turned and saw Taiyang sitting quietly at the kitchen table. Lost in her thoughts, she must have missed him at first glance, but now he stood up and walked towards her.

"Hey, Neo. Leaving all of a sudden? _"_

Neo stammered. She'd never gotten quite used to talking to him, even if she trusted him as Yang's father.

" _Y-yes, I...we...were..."_

Taiyang chuckled and went to one knee in front of her.

"Hey, it's okay. I know where you're going."

" _Oh..._ " Neo felt her heart sink. Yang hadn't wanted to make a big scene of leaving, to spare her father, so they'd decided to leave at first light.

"But that's alright. I have some things of my own to take care of, so I'm afraid I can't be there for you two."

Neo tilted her head.

" _You can't?_ "

Taiyang shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. Which is why," he put his arm on her shoulder, "I'm trusting you to look out for her. Take care of my daughter, Neo. She's strong, but you know more about the real world than her. You know how dangerous it can be. Keep her safe."

His voice was serious, but not without kindness. It was just as he said - he was putting his trust in her. Neo stepped forward and hugged him. She smiled and whispered into his broad shoulders.

" _I will. I promise. On my life."_

Taiyang sighed and returned the embrace.

"Thank you, Neo..."

Then, to Neo's surprise, he gave her a quick kiss on top of her head, then pulled away from the hug. Neo realized that more than finding someone she loved in Yang, she had found a family.

"You'll always be welcome here," Taiyang said, "Whenever you two decide to come back home."

/

Yang cast her eyes over the early morning forest. The sun was rising in the east, no more than a faint band of golden light above the horizon, but it was enough to see the landscape. The trail leading off between the trees, the patches of grass and new wildflowers between the last stubborn and scattered patches of snow, and the first green leaves, bright spots of color in the thicket of dead tree branches above.

There was birdsong in the air, and somewhere Yang heard the sound of running water.

And the sound of footsteps on gravel behind her.

Yang checked her mechanical arm. She had just put a new canister of Dust in it, and given it a thorough tune-up the night before, so it was in full working condition as far as she knew...but it was still just a piece of machinery. It wouldn't be the same, even if it did hold up in a fight.

Yang tucked the arm back under her half-cloak, adjusted her backpack, then turned and saw Neo, duffel bag slung over one shoulder and parasol perched daintily on the other. Yang's mouth parted open but her greeting caught in her throat when she saw Neo wearing Roman's distinctive hat, but she shook her head - whatever Roman had done, he had helped Neo when she needed it, and that was enough for Yang. The hat was a reminder of that, a tie to the person she knew in the past who had been selfless and caring to her, if to no one else.

"You ready?" Yang asked as the shorter girl approached her. Neo stepped up next to Yang's right side, and slipped her hand into Yang's robot one.

" _Of course I am._ "

The two of them paused as Yang gave Neo's hand a gentle squeeze with her mechanical hand. After a moment, Neo blinked and looked down the trail.

" _Where to first?_ " Neo asked.

Yang gave her a curious look.

"I thought we were looking for Cinder?"

Neo's eyes went to the ground.

" _Yang...I don't know where she is. I don't even know where Emerald and Mercury are. That's why I came here in the first place..._ "

Yang frowned and looked at the road. Somewhere out there were all of those enemies, as well as Adam and the White Fang. And Grimm. Lots and lots of Grimm.

"So we don't know where to start..."

Neo gave her a hesitant shake of her head. Yang squeezed her hand and smiled.

"Hey, it's alright. We'll figure something out along the way."

Neo returned the smile, but didn't look completely reassured.

" _Alright. So...what do you want do? Wherever you go, I'll follow you._ "

Yang blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean? Wasn't this all your idea in the first place?"

Neo shrugged.

" _Things...things were different then. A lot's changed. So I thought I should ask what you want to do. It only seemed fair."_

Yang furrowed her brow thoughtfully. She thought for a moment about finding her mother, finally tracking her down and finding out why she left….but she'd waited seventeen years to find her mother. Yang supposed she could wait a little longer.

"I want to find my teammates," Yang said quietly.

Neo paused for a moment, then nodded.

" _Alright. We'll see if the information brokers in Vale know anything. And if anything's come up about Cinder and her crew since then, we'll find that out too."_

Yang smiled and turned to face Neo.

"I know just the guy. We'll do this together."

" _Every step of the way."_

"Great," Yang said, turning to face the road, "Then let's do this."

" _One more thing,_ " Neo said. She unslung her duffel bag from her shoulder and set it on the ground next to her feet. She stood on her very tip-toes, grabbed Yang by the collar, and gave her a quick, sweet peck on the lips. It was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Just as quickly as it had begun, the kiss ended, and Neo stepped away and smiled at her.

" _Alright. Now I'm ready."_

Yang laughed, and once Neo picked up her bag Yang set off down the road.

She was finally leaving. After everything she had been through, she was back on her feet, back on her game, and ready to face the world again.

And she would face it with Neo by her side.

When Neo had come to her all those months ago, Yang had felt cold and dead inside. But Neo had seen the burning coals that still lurked in her spirit, and kindled them into a fire once more. And somewhere along the way, she'd ignited the flames of passion between them as well. That warmed Yang more than anything else, the knowledge that Neo loved her.

Yang kept walking, putting one foot in front of the other. Neo slipped into place next to her, giving her a reassuring smile. Yang spared a glance back over her shoulder at the house, already growing smaller as it fell away behind them, and sighed. It was a big, strange world out there, but Yang knew that she and Neo could survive it.

Wherever the road took them, they would be together.

The End

AN: Yes, Burning Coals is over. Of course, Yang and Neo have many more adventures, enemies to fight, friends to reunite with...but that's another story.


End file.
